Breaking Down the Walls
by Jan of Arc
Summary: Eric has been sheltered to the point where he only trusts one person. Sookie is a disgraced former child star who is attempting to resurrect her career. They have both built walls to protect themselves, can they break them down? AH/angst in beginning.
1. Building Brick by Brick

**Breaking down the Walls**

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

_A/N: Thank you to AlisonbyNumbers/NorthmanMaille, SapfireRose and DazedRose for convincing me to write this fic and very, very special thanks to Elbly for convincing me not only to write it but to keep going with it when I wasn't sure if it was worth it. First posted on Live Journal 6th September 2010. This is pretty angsty in the beginning - but like any journey you have to get past the bad stuff to really enjoy the happiness that follows_. **WARNING: This chapter may have trigger content for date rape.**

**-2002-**

"Hey! Northman! Er-sick"

The jocks of Southside High, Elmira, New York broke out in laughter at the new moniker for him this week, sometimes they would come up with two a week but that extended their brain capabilities beyond normal ranges. Eric turned towards the group of bullies led by Victor Madden, Quarterback, and saw the ball being thrown at him. Eric knew it would hit him in the face but the sudden movement he made to catch it made his head spin and his stomach turn. He was on the ground throwing his breakfast up onto the path in front of the school, when he was kicked in the back, making his face land in the puddle of vomit.

"Eww ... is your Momma so poor you have to throw up your breakfast so you can have lunch Er-sick?"

Eric looked up to where the female voice was coming from, desperately trying to prevent the tears falling from his eyes, his vision was blurred not only from the salty liquid pooling in them but from the dizziness. He _thought_ it was Sandy Sechrest, head cheerleader, the girl every guy whacks off thinking about. She spoke again and confirmed his thoughts.

"Gross! Honestly Northman, you should just kill yourself now and save yourself a life of disappointment!"

She tottered off in her heels followed by her group of giggling clones while Eric tried to get his bearings and stand on his own two feet again. He felt two gentle arms help him as he fought the continued spinning in his brain; it was his favourite teacher, Mr. De Castro.

"Now, now Eric, let's call your Mom to come and get you. This is the third time you've been sick this semester, have the doctor's found anything?"

"Uh ... I had the flu a couple of weeks ago but I haven't really gotten over it yet, I don't know what happened, I turned to catch a ball and just got really dizzy then I had to throw up."

"Okay Eric ... sshh ... let's go to the teacher's lounge and I'll call Pam ... I mean, your Mom."

Felipe De Castro worried more for Eric the more he saw of him, he'd thought, at first, that it was neglect but after spending some ... _time_ with Eric's Mom, Pam, he saw that Eric was just a sickly child. Unknown to De Castro, Eric hadn't always been like that, Eric was a perfectly healthy boy until he reached puberty and caught chicken pox, then the bullying started when he returned to school with some of the pink marks still showing, then the anxiety attacks appeared ... well it was safe to say that Eric Northman was easy pickings for any virus doing the rounds.

Eric wiped his face with the wet paper towels that Mr. De Castro brought him and listened to the teacher flirt with his Mom over the phone. He felt immensely guilty that his Mom would have to miss work to come and pick him up; they were poor enough as it was with all of the Doctors bills she had to pay. Pam ran into the lounge 20 minutes after Mr. De Castro hung up and went straight to Eric.

"Oh baby boy! What happened honey?"

"I got dizzy and sick."

"Okay, let's get you home and I'll call Doctor Ludwig." Pam helped him up from the plastic covered sofa and turned to Mr. De Castro. "Thanks for calling me Felipe, I'll ... uh ... see you another time yeah?"

Eric knew that in a few nights time, when he was feeling better, he'd hear Mr. De Castro's voice upstairs from his basement room before the springs in his Momma's bed were pushed into overdrive. Eric was silent all the way home in Pam's beaten up Corolla, he didn't speak again until after his Mom had settled him on the couch with a bowl of chicken soup and Doctor Ludwig came into the small house.

"So, Eric, what's this I hear about a dizzy spell followed by nausea and vomiting?"

"I turned quick to catch something and my head just spun, then I was on my knees throwing up. What is it this time?"

"Hmm ... you've just had flu right?" Eric and Pam both nodded. "I'll do some simple tests and we'll see what we see."

After a series of turns, Eric fell over and threw up again, his balance was shot and it felt like he was looking at the world through a fishbowl. Dr. Ludwig tested his hearing and checked his eyes before clearing her throat.

"Well, it seems you have a case of viral Labyrinthitis young man. I'll prescribe some Vestibular Suppressants for the dizziness and some Anti-emetics for the nausea, you should see an improvement in two to three weeks, if you still feel dizzy after that don't hesitate to call me okay?"

Pam and Eric both nodded and settled down to watch TV, Pam always took the chance to watch her favourite soap opera when she had to stay home with Eric. 'Rich Men's Families' were introducing a new family – the Falmers, Eric's eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the eldest daughter. She was blonde with an amazing figure, sparkling blue eyes and a bright cheery smile; the actress must have been a little younger than the 16 year old Eric that was glued to the screen every time she appeared. That night, Sandy Sechrest was bombed out of the spank bank for Sookie Stackhouse.

**-2003-**

Sookie sighed as she looked in the mirror of her room in Santa Monica, she didn't want to go to a party and she especially didn't want to go with creepy Quinn. Just because he was her boyfriend on 'Rich Men's Families' all of the PR people from the studio in Burbank wanted the public to think he was her boyfriend in the real world too, it looked good for the show. If he was a decent guy she wouldn't bristle so much at the idea, but he wasn't, he drank and Sookie had the terrible feeling that he took drugs too. He also, very badly, wanted Sookie in his bed.

_I'm supposed to be the American sweetheart all the Mom's and Dad's love. How am I supposed to continue that image if I hang out with an asshole like John Quinn?_

Sookie wasn't a fan of having her personal life run by her public relations company but she'd been warned by the other young actors and actresses on the show that that was just how it worked. She also knew that since John Quinn was a bigger name than her, she would have to wait until he got sick of her before the charade would end. If Sookie broke up with 'Miss Cosmo's teen choice award winner' John Quinn, it had been made clear that she would never work as an actress again. Ever the professional, Sookie plastered a smile onto her face and went into the living room to wait for her 'date'.

Two hours later, Sookie's face hurt from faking her smile so much. Her hands hurt from slapping Quinn's 'inquisitive fingers' and her eyes had spots floating in front of them from all the paparazzi that Quinn had wanted to pose for. She was tired, bored and had an early start the next day but Quinn was refusing to leave.

"Come on babe! Here, have a drink!"

Sookie took the glass and sniffed it. "Is this alcoholic? You know I'm underage, Quinn, I'm only 15!"

"For fuck sakes Sookie, live a little! Its Hollywood babe, you're a star – so drink up and fucking act like one!"

Tears stung at Sookie's eyes as she sipped at the concoction Quinn had given her, it smelled awful and didn't taste any better but if it made Quinn leave her alone so she could get home quicker she'd do it.

**-2004-**

Eric tried to get out of bed, really he did, but it just wasn't happening for him. Pam made her way down to the basement room and sat on his bed, stroking his hair gently.

"Are you having a bad day sweetie?"

"Urgh! Mom, it feels like my body is made of lead." Eric croaked. "I hate this, I should be getting ready to graduate not lying here feeling like I've been drinking heavily for the last year."

"I know, honey, I know. Dr. Ludwig said it would be a good while before you're anywhere near normal. I have to go to work but I've brought down a pitcher of water and a big bowl of fruit salad for you to snack on. I'll be home to make you lunch baby boy."

Eric nodded and Pam kissed him on his brow before leaving for her job in the Topps Superstore, since Eric was at home all day and old enough to look after himself, Pam had climbed through the ranks at the local branch to increase her salary. Rather than working the tills, Pam was now one of the Human Resources Administrators – the pay raise had certainly helped with Dr. Ludwig's bills since Eric had developed Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) after his bout of viral Labyrinthitis.

The upside to being stuck at home all day alone was that, when he felt up to it, Eric could abuse the dial-up connection without interruption. Yesterday he'd started to build his own website, it was mostly a ME diary with some other, personal thoughts thrown in for good measure, hints on what to eat or drink to avoid making the fatigue worsen. He also spent a considerable amount of time searching for pictures and information on Sookie Stackhouse, making his total time in front of the monitor around five hours – far too long for someone with his condition and the main reason he was hardly able to move now.

Eric was awoken by the sound of footsteps upstairs, then he heard his Mom come down to his room with his lunch. She had to help him sit up to eat his sandwich and commented on the untouched fruit and water.

"You did far too much yesterday didn't you? I can guess you were scouting out more stuff on that girl who plays Helena Falmer." Pam looked at her son with reproach and a blush crept across his cheeks. "Just try to be more aware of how long you spend on the computer honey; maybe setting an alarm would be a good idea?"

"Yeah, that would be good. Are you going out with Mr. De Castro tonight?"

"I am; he says he's taking me somewhere swanky for our dating anniversary!"

"Cool, I'm glad you're actually dating now and not just screwing."

"Eric!"

"Sorry Mom."

Pam kissed her son goodbye and went back to work, Eric finished his sandwich and went back to sleep, such was the routine on most afternoons. Later that day Pam made Eric a small bowl of casserole for dinner and went to get ready for her date with Felipe, while she was putting on her make-up she thought about her relationship with Eric's ex-teacher had progressed over the few years they had known each other. At first she was wary of Mr. De Castro, she knew he was concerned about a pupil and the fact that he suspected her of neglect rubbed her up the wrong way. After spending enough time around him, she had come to appreciate that he cared about Eric's health and he had offered his support ... which then led to the bedroom.

Felipe was the first man Pam had let touch her sexually since Eric's Dad, after Ricky had told her he wasn't ready to be a father and bailed, she made Eric her life. The fact that Felipe seemed to be interested in being part of her son's life as well as hers softened her towards him and now here they were, past the 'friends with benefits' stage and celebrating a year of regular dinners, movie nights and dancing. She heard the doorbell and her smile brightened, Felipe gave her a kiss and a bouquet of red carnations at the door.

"Mi Amante! You look delightful!"

"Thanks Felipe, I'm almost ready. Would you mind going down to Eric's room and getting his dinner dishes while I finish up here?"

"Sure, I wanted to talk to him anyway, see how he's doing you know?"

Pam smiled and nodded but thought there was something odd about the look on Felipe's face. Shrugging it off, she went back to her bedroom to put her jewellery on as Felipe made his way to the basement. Eric was awake and flicking through the channels on his TV when Felipe saw him, he was pale and had dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey Eric! You having a bad day today?"

"Yeah, I spent too long at my computer yesterday. Did my Mom send you down for the dishes?"

"She did but there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

Felipe took a deep breath and sat on Eric's bed patting his knees with his hands. "Eric, I want to ask Pam ... your Mom to marry me and before I do, I want to know that you're okay with that."

Eric wasn't surprised that Felipe was taking that step but he was surprised that the teacher respected him enough to run it by him first. Eric liked Mr. De Castro, even if he wasn't really his teacher anymore, he still thought of him in that way. He treated his Mom well and it was good to have a man around if he ever needed to speak to him about guy stuff. Felipe had managed to be an excellent Father figure for Eric despite the casual air around his relationship with Pam and if Eric could think of one person he'd want his Mom to settle down with it would be Mr. De Castro.

"Wow ... well you make her happy Mr. De Castro and I like you, you don't try to be my friend and you don't try to be my Dad. I'd be totally cool with you and my Mom getting married, I hope she says yes."

Felipe leaned down and hugged Eric before showing him the ring he'd bought to propose to Pam. It was a simple diamond solitaire in white gold, Pam was classy despite her financial status and gaudy jewellery was not her thing. Eric wished Felipe luck then reminded him about his dinner dishes before watching him walk back upstairs. Although Eric was left alone a lot, he didn't mind, it's not like he had the energy for long conversations anyway and being alone meant there was no-one to make fun of him. The best part about not being well enough to leave the house, was not having to spend time with his tormentors at school, he could just imagine the _amusing_ nicknames they were using for him as he holed up in bed with less energy than an average 90 year old.

**-2005-**

Sookie woke to the sounds of her parents arguing and her cell phone going off. As she moved to answer the incessant ringing, she noticed pain, lots of it. Her head was pounding and every muscle in her body screamed at her as she tried to roll over, when she tentatively straightened her legs she felt a stinging sensation she'd never felt before between her thighs.

_What the hell happened last night? I remember going to a party a Quinn's friend's house and him plying me with drinks as usual but after that ... oh god no!_

Sookie knew what had happened, her drink had been spiked and Quinn had finally gotten what he wanted after her fighting him off for so long. She sobbed loudly and hugged herself beneath the comforter on her bed, the rocking of her body as she realised she'd effectively been raped made the springs of the bed creak, alerting her parents to her non-asleep status. In less than a minute Corbett and Michelle Stackhouse had burst into her room.

"Sookie! How could you?" Michelle sobbed and held a well-used handkerchief to her red nose.

"I'm very disappointed; I thought you were a good girl, Sookie."

Corbett tossed a copy of the LA Herald Express onto the bed. Sookie groggily sat up and tried to focus her eyes on what she was seeing.

_**Soap Opera Star in Orgy Shocker!**_

_Sookie Stackhouse, Helena Falmer in Rich Men's Families, shows her true colours in these leaked photographs from a private party she attended last night. The pictures clearly show Miss Stackhouse in a sexual situation with two, naked, mystery males._

_Miss Stackhouse's PR Company has yet to comment on this shocking evidence that one of America's sweethearts isn't as sweet as we thought. Mr. Quinn's representatives have released a statement denying that their client had any knowledge of the event and have also stated that "John Quinn is saddened that his girlfriend of 2 years has this darkly promiscuous side to her."_

Sookie dropped the paper to the floor and stared at her parents in shock, Corbett and Michelle were stone faced in front of their daughter.

"You ... you actually believe this? Momma? Daddy? This isn't what happened!"

"Well." Corbett sighed and sat next to Sookie on the bed. "Tell us what _did_ happen."

"I don't remember. I remember going to the party and not liking the people there, Quinn kept giving me drinks but after the second or third ... I don't remember anything! And now I'm sore all over and my head hurts ... I ... think, no, I _know,_ I was drugged Daddy. H ... he drugged me and took my virginity and now everyone thinks I'm some kind of whore who does two guys at once!"

Corbett turned to Michelle and put his arm around his crying child. "Get a doctor! I want a good one and I want drug tests to prove that this bastard date-raped my little girl!"

Michelle called for a doctor but by the time one came to the house, the PR representatives of Sookie, the network and John Quinn had shown up at the front door, despite Sookie's parents and rep's insistence, the network reps sent the doctor away saying his expertise wouldn't be required. Alcide, Sookie's agent, came into her room and noted her appearance. This was no 'little girl caught doing bad' that sat before him, it was a broken young woman who had been through a traumatic experience.

"Your Dad told me your side Sookie, I'm willing to fight whatever Quinn's reps have put out there but ... I gotta tell ya, it doesn't look good for you. I've been trying to call you all morning about this; the reps from the network are 'unwilling to ruin the good name of one of their biggest draws'."

"So ... they're going with whatever crap Quinn said just so he'll still have a job?" Alcide nodded. "What about _me_? What about what _I've_ been through? What about _my_ job?"

"We should go downstairs and talk about this with them."

Sookie nodded numbly and asked Alcide to give her half an hour to freshen up, her Mom came in while she was undressing and saw the dried blood at the tops of her thighs and cried with her daughter. Michelle helped her little girl clean up and dress before they went down to face the people who thought a popular young man should get away with a serious crime simply because of who he was.

"Oh you finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Quinn's rep, Debbie Pelt, sneered at Sookie.

Corbett and Alcide were immediately defensive, standing in front of Sookie as if she were about to be physically attacked. Debbie was told to 'back the fuck down' by the network rep Barry Horowitz before he turned his attention to Sookie.

"Now, Miss Stackhouse, I've been told your side by your parents here and I have to say, it's a little 'out there'. John Quinn is a popular young man, especially with young teenage girls, and being accused of uh ... date rape, well that's not only a career ender – it's a possible prison sentence. Think of all the girls whose idea's of John you'd be ruining with this accusation. Not to mention the bad publicity it would bring the show _and_ the network."

"So ... you want me to keep quiet? Act like nothing happened? Go to work every day and pretend that he _didn't_ drug me and have sex with me when I was unable to say 'no'?"

"Sookie." Barry sighed. "You said yes plenty of other times apparently, and also according to John, you liked it a little rough ..."

"I lost my virginity last night! I woke up with dried blood on my thighs!"

"So _you_ say. As for going to work every day ... well that's not gonna happen sweetie. Those photographs in the Herald Express were pretty damaging to your image ..."

"And where exactly did those photos's come from anyway?" Alcide interjected.

"They were supposed to be for John's personal use but the memory card from his camera got swiped by another party goer." Debbie replied.

Sookie was beyond shocked, it wasn't just a case of John drugging her, having sex with her and then passing her on to his friends – he'd actually, _purposefully_, recorded the incident?

"Anyway." Barry continued. "Your role in the cast of Rich Men's Families is to be temporarily written out until we can find a replacement actress. The deal is: You go away quietly and we'll do damage limitation with the press _or_ if you decide to go all the way with your accusation, Debbie and I will do our damndest to make sure you never work in show-business again – just like what your accusation would do to John. We could ruin your entire family Miss Stackhouse, all it takes is a few phone calls, I understand your brother Jason is the youngest rookie in the ECHL this season, you wouldn't want anything nasty about him to be spread around and ruin his career would you?"

"I do not need to tell you how _fucking wrong _that is!" Alcide's anger had bubbled to the surface. "Damage limitation? It doesn't matter _what_ you say to the press, Sookie is _ruined_. Not just her career but physically, mentally, emotionally, how can you be so ready to just brush her off like a bug?"

"Mr ... Herveaux, is it? In the grand scheme of Rich Men's Families, Miss Stackhouse _is_ a bug. The only reason she's known as well as she is, is due to John Quinn." Barry stood and turned to Sookie, bending a little and bracing his hands on his knees. "Now, sweetheart, are you going to go away quietly? We'll tell all the papers you were doped out of your brain after binging on alcohol and recreational drugs, the whole sordid 'three-in-the-bed' romp was very out of character _but_ John left the party before you ... indulged."

After hours of arguing back and forth between the reps, Barry still wasn't budging and Alcide reluctantly agreed that Sookie wanted to accept the deal, no matter how much he just wanted her to go to a hospital or a police station. Sookie wanted to act, it was her dream and she wanted to keep on living it, whether she had to tell a few lies or hide a few secrets, she wouldn't give up on her dreams of Hollywood and she wouldn't let some corporate douche bags ruin her brother's chance at his dreams back in Syracuse.

**-2006-**

"Eric? Honey? Are you decent? We have a _surprise_ for you!" Pam sang downstairs into the basement as Eric pulled on his sweats.

"Yeah Mom, I'm dressed."

He heard Pam clapping and both her and Felipe's voices upstairs before an extraordinary amount of banging and scraping. It was Eric's birthday and whatever his Mom and Felipe had bought him sounded ... big.

"Uh ... do you guys need help?"

"No, no Eric. We're fine, we wouldn't want you to overdo it ... well not ... never mind!"

The last time Eric heard Felipe this excited was on his wedding day, he and Pam had married eight months ago and Felipe was now living in their old house. One of Pam, and Eric's, worries was that he would insist they move into his larger home in a better area but Felipe once again showed his care and understanding of Eric's condition by suggesting he move in with them to prevent unnecessary stress on the, still suffering, young man.

Pam and Felipe eventually made it to the bottom of the stairs with a pile of large boxes tied together with string. Eric looked at the writing on the side of the boxes and laughed.

"Exercise equipment? Don't you think that's a little ... ironic?"

"Not at all Eric." Felipe beamed. "Regular exercise can increase your endorphin levels and help to fight fatigue, that, along with a healthy diet, well, you should be fit as a fiddle in no time!"

"Trying to get rid of the step-son already Felipe?"

Eric smiled, Pam was mortified and Felipe looked ... hurt before realising it was a joke. Even though Felipe and Pam were of an age where a baby was not impossible, it would be a huge upheaval in their lives, not to mention Eric's, Felipe was happy to think of Eric as a son. Despite the unfortunate illnesses that had plagued Eric, he wasn't a bitter man and that made Felipe proud. More boxes were brought down from the main house and Eric helped to set the equipment up, by the end of the evening he had a treadmill, exercise bike and weight bench taking up most of the free space in his room.

Eric was sure that exercise making his ME more tolerable was indeed a worthwhile pursuit, but it _would_ take time away from his computer projects ... at first. The more active he was, the more active he could be! His website had been live for some time now, updates were easy and he had even been asked by some visitors if he would help with the design of their sites, he jumped at the chance! He might not be able to get out of bed some days but there _was_ something he could do to make himself feel useful. It wasn't like he had Sookie Stackhouse to distract him anymore; after the degrading photos of her were splashed all over the net she had been very quiet. Her official website was just a single page with a head shot and some background and previous work information.

When Eric first read about the supposed orgy, he was shocked, stunned, disgusted and a whole lot of other negative emotions but when he saw the photo he could see that something wasn't ... _right._ Sure it was all over every kind of media that she'd gotten high at an orgy but she didn't look _high_ she looked ... asleep. Recreational drugs made you spaced out and happy – not unconscious, fortunately Eric wasn't the only one to think something was fishy about the whole story, when it broke the forums were full of conspiracy theorists pointing the finger at John Quinn and exposing some very interesting stories from old girlfriends but those sites had been shut down quicker than you could say 'let's not get any legal teams involved'. For all intents and purposes, it was as if Sookie Stackhouse had disappeared from the face of the planet.

Later that evening Felipe came down to say goodnight, Eric had been thinking of his computer work, his lack of a high school diploma and the enquiries about his web design work.

"Felipe, I was wondering, is there a way for me to set up a business here? People have asked me to design websites for them but I'm doing it for free and I was thinking that if I'm getting paid for it, I can contribute to the house and my doctor's bills."

Felipe thought for a moment before answering. "Eric, that's a great idea! I'll look into it for you. Its honest work and it'll be easy for you to limit the amount of work you have but you know that you don't have to worry about helping out with the bills or contributing to the house, we'd prefer you concentrated on getting better."

"Okay, I'll try not to worry about eating you and Mom out of house and home but I'd feel better if I was earning, I'd feel more useful."

Felipe nodded and left Eric in his room. It was great that Eric wanted to be useful and he _was_ getting better little by little but this web design business wouldn't get him out into the fresh air. Eric's inability to leave the house was something Pam and Felipe had discussed a few times but unknown to Pam, Felipe's main worry was that Eric seemed reluctant to leave his room let alone the house; he made a promise to himself, for the good of Pam and Eric, to keep an eye on that behaviour.

**-2007-**

The Albany theatre was worn, dusty and depressing – a little like Sookie's resume these days. The director called for the next person to audition and Sookie walked confidently onto the stage. She had read the book and researched the many TV and film adaptations of Tess of the D'Urbervilles to be on the top of her game for this audition. Michelle had helped her choose, compile and practice the dramatic scene she was about to perform. Standing centre stage, she noticed the director's expression as he recognised who she was but put it aside and took a deep breath.

"I'll always be ugly now, because Angel is not ..."

"Okay Miss Stackhouse let's just leave it there. This is a serious production and we have no interest in the titillation value having you on the cast would bring, not to mention how the negative publicity for any antics you get up to will affect us. Thank you for coming but you're not who we're looking for."

Utterly defeated but determined not to let it show, Sookie nodded at the director and walked off stage. She made it as far as the exit before the tears trickled from her eyes uncontrollably, wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands, she didn't think to look where she was going and smacked into something not hard but not soft either. Sookie landed with a bump on the floor and looked up at the obstruction to her fleeing from her humiliation, it was a man with dark hair and kind eyes, he looked very flustered and was waving his arms a little as if he didn't know whether to help her or run away.

"Uh ... I'm so sorry! Do you need me to ..."

"No, I don't need anyone! Excuse me!"

Sookie stood up and attempted to pass the man to get to the door but he stopped her by lightly grasping her shoulder.

"Look I said I was sorry but really, you were the one who bumped into me, from your mood I can tell that your audition went south but don't take it out on me!"

Sookie stared open mouthed at the stranger and was about to give him a piece of her mind when she realised he was right. She hadn't been looking where she was going and walked right into him and as if that wasn't enough, she took out her anger at the directors comments on him.

"You're right, I'm so sorry. I apologise for not watching where I was walking. Good luck with your audition."

The stranger smiled and extended his hand. "Bill Compton, I'm not here for an audition though. I'm friends with the director and just came down to share some news with him."

Sookie placed her hand in his and watched as he brought it to his lips. "Sookie Stackhouse, it was nice to meet you Bill but I have to go."

"Would it be too much for me to ask that I have some way of contacting you? You're a very attractive woman Sookie; I'd love to get to know you better."

Being a wary young woman, after her past, she handed him one of her contact cards. The number on it was for a pre-paid cell phone and not her personal cell or home number, that way if it ever rang she knew it was business. Would Bill be described as business? Either way, she didn't want some stranger she literally just bumped into having her personal numbers, who knows what kind of psycho they could turn out to be.

Besides, maybe if he had the number that phone would actually ring. Her luck would change soon right? It had only been a year since she was vilified over every kind of media you can find in the northern hemisphere, any week now someone else would mess up and everyone would forget what she supposedly did, then her path would be clear. It had to be.

**-2008-**

Pam came home to the smell of chocolate cake permeating the house and her son in the kitchen emptying the rich brown sponges onto a cooling rack. Eric smiled at her as she dropped her purse onto one of the dining chairs and closed her eyes to take in more of the scent of his baking pursuits.

"My, oh my, baby boy! If those cakes taste half as good as they smell we're in for a treat tonight!"

"Thanks Mom but they're far from done. We need frosting, could you or Felipe go out to the store and grab some?"

"Eric." Pam sighed and sagged into a chair. "You've been good for the last few weeks don't you think it's time you went outside honey? You were stuck in your room for so long; some fresh air would be good for you."

"Uh ... I dunno if I'm ready for that Mom. What if people see me? What if they make fun of me? What if ..."

"Eric, honey! Oh my god! What's wrong baby?"

Pam ran to Eric's side as he crossed his arms over his chest and sank to his knees in a corner of the kitchen, panting.

"I ... can't breathe Momma!"

"Oh my god!" Pam grabbed her cell phone from her purse and hit number 5 on her speed dial. "I need Dr. Ludwig now!"

The Doctor was in the kitchen with Eric less than an hour later, Eric was sitting at the kitchen table breathing into a paper bag while Dr. Ludwig measured his blood pressure. Pam paced back and forth, chewing on what was left of her nails.

"What is it this time Dr. Ludwig? Is it serious? Does Eric have a respiratory problem? Will he need to go to hospital?"

Eric started panting again and Dr. Ludwig frowned at his reaction. "What Eric is having at this moment is an anxiety attack. Has this happened before?"

Eric removed the bag from his mouth. "I used to have feelings like this before I went to school each day but never as bad, just a nervous stomach. Are you sure it isn't a heart attack?"

"I'm sure Eric. What were you talking about before the panic set in?"

"I was talking to Eric about going out of the house and he just started shaking and ... he was worried about people seeing him and making fun of him." Pam despaired at her sweet boy's situation. "This is that thing ... the opposite of claustrophobia ... uh ... agoraphobia! Isn't it?"

"Well this is just peachy! As if having physical illnesses wasn't enough, now I've got a mental disorder! I'm a goddamn freak!" Eric started to hyperventilate and Dr. Ludwig handed him his paper bag back and started to massage his temples with her fingertips.

Once Eric had calmed down, Dr. Ludwig suggested an Anti-Anxiety medication, which Eric refused to entertain, so she asked Pam to drop into the surgery and pick up some lists and leaflets to help them cope with this new revelation. As she drove away from the Northman – De Castro house, Dr. Ludwig shook her head. She thought it was a damn shame that a young man as handsome as Eric should be cooped up inside, panicking at the thought of going outside. She'd been there through the chicken pox, through the tonsillitis, through the conjunctivitis, through the flu and everything since. Surely Eric's luck was going to change soon? If it didn't he was surely the unluckiest man on the face of the planet.

**-2009-**

Sookie stopped in the middle of taking off her work uniform and rushed to the ringing phone, almost dropping it in her haste. "Hello?"

"Hey Sook, its Alcide."

"Hey! How is the hardest working agent in America doing today?" She balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she removed her 'Hi my name is Adele' badge.

"Not so good Sook, you've had another ... uh ... offer."

"Oh?" Sookie cringed wondering what is was this time. Since she turned 18 the 'offers' to be the star of the show in her own movie's had been plentiful, it was a pity all those movies involved her being naked and having sex in them.

"Yeah, another Vivid production. This one was called 'Stackhouse in Toyland'; you can probably guess what your 'role' entailed."

"Well thanks for letting me know Alcide. I have that audition for the pilot of a new show today."

"Yep, although I have my doubts that a remake of 'Beauty and the Beast' will be successful, it's got a cult following who aren't happy about the plans to bring it back."

"Yeah well, it's not like I've got the star power to pick and choose Alcide."

"I know honey. Bill's screen test for Galaxy Pioneers is today isn't it?"

"Sure is. It's between him and Andy Bellefleur as far as I know."

"Well I wish him all the best and you of course. Some day sweetie, it'll come someday."

"I hope so. Waitressing using my middle name to try and hide is becoming a real bore."

They said their goodbyes and Sookie showered quickly and changed into a pretty dress for her audition. This was the most hope she'd had about an audition since she got the role of 'Red eyed demon' in an awful straight to DVD movie ripping off 'Supernatural'. She sighed and got in her car, stopping halfway to the audition to answer her cell.

"Hey Bill! How did it go honey?"

"Bill? Don't you mean Captain John-Luke Kirkton?"

Sookie did her happy dance in the driver's seat, dropping the phone in the process before hurriedly rooting on the floor so she could squeal her delight at her boyfriends' good fortune.

"I'm glad you're happy sweetheart but I was really calling to wish you luck. This reboot of Beauty and the Beast will be great and with you as Kat in place of Linda Hamilton as Catherine it's will rock the house!"

"Thanks honey! I'll call you when I'm done!"

As Sookie finished her journey, she thought about making a special meal to celebrate Bill's success. They'd been dating since a couple of weeks after 'The Albany Incident' as they lovingly referred to it. Bill had admitted on their first date that it was the photographs that made him ask for her number but Sookie had put him in his place quick sharp, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she was a lady and that those photographs showed a girl drugged out of her mind and taking part in acts that she thought disgusting when in her right mind. At first Bill had seemed disappointed with that but he asked for further dates and never mentioned it again although Sookie had an inkling that he thought about it sometimes.

In the small studio there were many, many young actresses vying for the part of Kat and Sookie had seen a few of them on the same brand of soap opera she once had a part in. Those girls weren't tainted by bad press or shady deals to protect a bigger star and prevent their families being ruined. All of a sudden, Sookie wasn't quite as confident, her mood sank even lower when she heard a familiar voice.

"Sookie? Sookie Stackhouse is that you?"

"Uh ... hi Selah."

Selah Pumphrey had played the character of Tasha DeWitt on Rich Men's Families; Tasha was the twin sister of Nathan DeWitt who had been played by John Quinn.

"Oh my stars! Look at you all grown up! You look ... well. I never thought we'd meet up at an audition like this, all of the stuff Quinn was saying about you, well, I was certain you'd be starring on your back if you know what I mean!"

Sookie ground her teeth when she smiled at her. "Nope, I'll never sink that low. Being plied with drugs and used as a sexual plaything while someone takes photo's kinda skews your opinion on being naked in front of a camera."

"Oh? You really _were_ drugged? I thought ... never mind!" Selah turned towards where a voice was coming from. "Look I gotta go but it was good seeing you!"

Selah walked into the audition room and Sookie left the building. She was still crying when Bill came to see her in her apartment that night and nothing her boyfriend could say would console her.


	2. Bars on the Windows

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut. Also please note that this fic is 70% lemon-free, if you're looking for smut – sorry, it's not here.

**-2010-**

Felipe was getting ready to leave for another day at Southside High when Eric called for him from the door to the basement. He sighed and turned back, thinking that at some point this would have to stop. Eric was an adult, his ME was barely evident, his website design business was making him a good few thousand dollars a month but he had only left the house three times since Dr. Ludwig came to see him after his anxiety attack. Two of those three times had ended abruptly with Pam bringing a quivering, hyperventilating Eric back home fairly soon after leaving, the third time had been better, even if it was only a trip to the all night convenience store but he _had_ to have Pam with him.

"What's up Eric?"

"Could you bring me home some Mountain Dew? Code Red - not the green stuff."

"Well, your Mom is taking a half day today so she can start to clear out the garage before the yard sale tomorrow. Why don't you wait until she comes home and she can take you out?"

"Umm ... I dunno ... maybe. I'll see how I feel when she gets back."

Felipe nodded and left the house, he fully expected a text from Eric after lunchtime to either ask him to pick it up or that Pam had already done it. Eric went back down to the basement after talking with Felipe and sat at his computer, his business didn't take up a lot of his time, he purposefully chose clients that would have very little need for his services after the initial build but he did spend a lot of time on forums and fan sites for his new TV favourite 'Galaxy Pioneers'. It was like 'Star Trek' and 'Firefly' got together and made an awesome Sci-fi TV series baby. He didn't think much of the Captain, John Luke Kirkton, but maybe that was because the actor who played him was dating Sookie Stackhouse.

He didn't think of her as 'his' and he wasn't jealous, well maybe just a little, but whenever he saw photo's of them together there was something ... off about the way he positioned himself around her. It was like he was stopping her from going somewhere, even if she wasn't trying to get anywhere. He thought about what Felipe said as he browsed through the latest news and spoilers about the crew of USS Bon Temps, maybe he should go out later. It had been a couple of weeks since he last left the house and the trip to the Sunoco at the end of Kinyon Street had been good, a ten minute walk there and back, didn't bump into anyone they knew and no-one looked at him twice but then, they had gone out at 7am on a Sunday morning.

Eric's musing was interrupted when he saw something wonderful on his monitor. Sookie Stackhouse was back! She had been cast as the new ship's doctor Troisha DeAnnet, a telepathic humanoid from a new planet to enter the Universal Peace Alliance. This was very good news, the last thing Eric had seen her in was 'Hunters', a really bad straight to DVD movie that didn't rip off 'Supernatural' – it almost parodied it, but at least the red eyed demon was hot. After Googling until his search results were worn out, he decided to spend some time on his exercise equipment. Every day he thanked his lucky stars for his Mom and Felipe, not only were his energy levels evening out but his body was toned and muscular, he wasn't skinny like he used to be, sometimes he looked in a mirror and didn't recognise himself.

He went to his weight bench and done a few reps on his upper body muscle groups when a realisation hit him, he didn't check Sookie's official site to see what they were saying about her new role. Believing you should always finish what you start; he completed his set and went back to the screen. It was strange but there was only a small mention of it at the bottom of the page, thinking that her agent was either completely dense and not web design savvy or that maybe another site had been set up to dedicate to Troisha DeAnnet, he searched Google again.

"This is crazy!"

Eric spoke out loud even though there was no-one to hear him as he trawled through the mountain of hate sites that had already been shabbily created in a hurry by Bill Compton, or rather John Luke Kirkton, fans. The only complimentary pages he found were on the official Galaxy Pioneers site and even those had been tarnished by rabid fan girls making very nasty comments about her under the articles.

_How on earth is she supposed to have a chance? She hasn't even shot an episode yet and already the negativity is overwhelming, if her character isn't liked, the network won't include her in episodes and eventually write her out – just like in that crappy soap opera._

Eric decided that if anyone needed his services it was Sookie Stackhouse, he went back to her official site and clicked the 'contact us' button and started drafting a lengthy e-mail as to why Miss Stackhouse was in need of an official fan page, even if he didn't get the 'okay' for an official one, he'd create an unofficial one anyway but it would be nice if her agent would endorse it. He was still tapping away at his keyboard when his Mom came home and popped her head through the doorway upstairs.

"Eric! Felipe called and told me you might want to go out for something, are you up for it?"

"Uh ... sure Mom, gimme a minute."

He sent his e-mail away and jumped into the shower without even thinking about the fact he'd agreed to go out with Pam with no reservations, no fear at the thought of leaving the house and no thoughts over who he might meet while outside. He made his way upstairs and into the garage, where Pam was digging through some boxes that had been taken down from the attic earlier that week, Pam smiled at him, wondering what had happened that Eric's apprehension was practically nil.

"I'll just wash my hands and then we'll get going sweetie."

"Sure Mom, I'll wait outside."

Pam stared at Eric with her mouth agape for a moment before going to clean up, when she grabbed her keys and locked the door, she noticed Eric standing in the front yard looking up at the sky. Tears stung at her eyes as she saw the afternoon sunlight beam down on her baby boy for the first time in years. Pam took a deep breath and strode towards him.

"Let's go Eric." Pam put on her shades and slung her purse over her shoulder as they walked down the Street towards Pennsylvania Avenue. "So what is it that's got you in such a good mood baby boy?"

"Nothing, really, I _did_ send an email off to someone offering to design a site for them."

"I thought your clients contacted you?"

"Usually they do but I saw an opportunity and it's something I have an interest in."

They stopped at the crosswalk and Pam looked at her son, whatever it was he was interested in certainly had an impact, she crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped that whoever it was Eric emailed got back to him soon and agreed to whatever he suggested – if it could have this effect on his condition in such a short time perhaps having a project based on it would bring about a vast improvement. They walked into the store and Pam grabbed a hand basket, Eric looked around warily for the first time since they left the house then his eyes locked on the cashier. Pam felt Eric stiffen next to her and tried to work out what it was that had spooked him.

"I'm gonna wait outside Mom."

"What? Wait!"

Before she could stop him, Eric was back out of the door. She knew not to follow him or make a scene that might draw attention to him, so she calmly made her way through the aisles to pick up what they needed. While she was deciding whether to pick up a trashy magazine or a fashion magazine she heard the cashiers giggling and looked over to see one of them leaning over the counter and another standing at the door looking out.

"I'm sure it's him!" The girl at the door hissed. "I'm gonna go out there and talk to him."

"Sandy! Come on! Stop goofing around, Cam already hauled you in for a meeting once this week."

Sandy grinned at her colleague and was out of the door before Pam could comprehend what was about to happen. She watched in horror as the girl, Sandy, tapped Eric on the shoulder. Eric thought it was his Mom who was trying to get his attention but felt the sweat prickle on his brow and his heart start thumping against his ribcage when he saw it was Sandy Sechrest.

"Hey Eric! Where you been?" Eric couldn't talk, his vocal chords had seized and every muscle in his body wanted to curl into a ball. "You're lookin' kinda pale, are you okay?"

Sandy remembered the horrible things she'd said to Eric in school, she laughed at him when he had been sick and she laughed when Victor had kicked him in the back making him fall face first into the puddle of vomit. Sandy had told him he should kill himself; he came back to school once after that then no-one ever saw him again. Sandy was wracked with guilt for years because she thought maybe he _had_ killed himself.

"What have you been up to? I haven't seen you for years; did you leave and go to school somewhere else?"

Eric just stared at the matriarch of his tormentors, he'd had nightmares of her laughing at him since Victor Madden gave him his first wedgie and now she was here ... being nice to him. Eric was sure it was a trick, any moment now she'd kick off that high pitched giggle and point at him chanting 'Skinny freak sick boy'. Instead she sighed and looked frustrated, was it because he wasn't falling for the niceness? Eric's eyes darted around looking for Pam, just at that moment she came out of the store after being detained by the other cashier for trying to leave with the basket full of goods. Pam saw the distress written across Eric's features and grabbed his arm to take his attention away from the situation. She had to try and get him to a less public place before he started hyperventilating, Eric turned to take one last look at Sandy as he headed back down the street with his Mom.

Pam managed to get Eric back inside the house without further incidents and he immediately went down to his room and curled up under his bed. Pam peeked beneath the mattress and saw Eric's sobbing form, kicking off her shoes, she slid through the dust bunnies and gathered he baby boy into her arms.

"Shh ... it's okay sweetie. Whatever she said, it doesn't matter now. You're home and you're safe."

"P ... promise me you'll never leave me all alone outside Mom?"

"I promise sweet boy, I promise."

Pam closed her eyes and made the decision to go along with Felipe's idea of having a counsellor come to the house. This had to stop; it was stressful that her full grown son couldn't leave the house without her, that he needed her comfort so much. Pam knew that even though Eric liked Felipe, he would never have the same level of trust in her husband as he had with her. Yes, tonight she would have Felipe call Mr. Cataliades.

~v~

Sookie sat in her new agent's office sipping a large half-fat latte, since she was based in New York now and Alcide was too busy to arrange many things for her, he had transferred her to his colleague Arlene. She was thankful to Alcide for sticking by her through the dry spell but knew that she had been low maintenance for him and that's why he hadn't dropped her. If she'd taken any of the jobs that came through his office for her, he'd have taken her off the books years ago. Sookie was bone tired, it was 6pm and she'd been up since 5am getting her costume for Galaxy Pioneers fitted and then going for photo shoots with SyFy Magazine, an interview with The New York Times alongside Bill and some of the other actors on the show, a rehearsal for the first episode she'd be in and now she was with Arlene Fowler scheduling the other engagements and commitments she'd agreed to. Sookie had known this role would be demanding of her time but at this rate she'd barely spend any time at home.

"So Sookie, this was the first time you got to meet everyone on the set. Pretty exciting stuff huh?"

"Yeah, tiring but exciting! I've been so used to not having anything to do, it's gonna take me a while to get back into the swing of things."

"Well you'd better find your swing soon, Galaxy Pioneers has a massive following and they all want to know about the new ship's doctor. Did you have any ... odd questions from the interviewer?"

"She asked if I had a problem with all the attention that Bill got from his female fans, I told her it didn't bother me."

"Yeeeees ... well, you might change your tune when you see what those female fans are saying about you. With that in mind we've had an interesting offer; a Mr. Eric Northman has requested endorsement for a fan site. I've looked at his previous work and it's pretty good, clear, well laid out, good use of colour schemes and placement of photographs. It's not every day that you have someone _offer_ to do this, sure he'll need to be paid but it'll be easier than searching out a design company to do it."

"Don't fan sites just spring up on their own? What's wrong with my official site?"

"Fan sites usually do pop up more often than I've had hot dinners but not for you, sorry to say this honey but your past coupled with the fact you're dating one of the hottest lead actors on TV at the moment isn't making you popular. You're official site is ... well last week it was adequate but now it needs to be a beacon of your talents."

"So we ask this Evan Northman ..."

"Eric, his name is Eric."

"Right, Eric, well we ask him if he can redesign the official site and make it suitable for fans and prospective employers."

"That's a pretty good idea; maybe we can hire him to maintain it too? If he's a fan he'd be able to ensure positive news gets to the right group first. I'll set up a meeting with him, get him down here so we can talk about what we want the site to look like, make sure he has the right promo shots for it, that kind of thing."

"Cool. Is there anything else Arlene? I'm really tired and I was hoping to get the chance to spend time with Bill tonight."

"Nope, I think that's everything. You get going Sookie, another early day tomorrow for you and we don't want you having panda eyes on your first shoot."

Sookie pecked Arlene on the cheek to say good bye and drove to Bill's apartment, she had a key but wasn't ready to move in with him, no matter how convenient he tried to convince her it would be. They had feelings for each other, Sookie wouldn't have willingly had sex with him if she didn't, but she wasn't sure if it was love on her end _or_ his. Sometimes Sookie felt that she clung to her relationship with him because he seemed to be willing to see beyond her past and support her in her plans for the future. Other times she felt like Bill was with her because she was easy to control to an extent, he was the first man who had paid attention to her for reasons other than thinking she was into kinky sex. Sookie tried not to be beholden to Bill for that but it was hard not to feel grateful for him giving her a chance, even if he occasionally spoke down to her or acted like she was a possession rather than a person.

Letting herself into the apartment in Williamsburg, Sookie called out to Bill as she put her keys back in her purse and hung her jacket up on the hooks behind the door. A smiling Bill leaned against the doorframe leading to the living room.

"Hi there sweetheart. I made pasta for us, I wasn't sure exactly when you'd be back so I kept it warm in the oven."

"Oh thank you honey, I am famished! I just hope I can stay awake long enough to eat it!"

"It's been a busy day but you should get used to it, most days are like this when we're filming or it was last season anyway."

"I can't thank you enough for letting the casting director give me a chance. Trying to get an audition after ... everything, well, it's my biggest hurdle."

"I didn't do much darling, I just asked them to take the time to see you in action. I knew once they saw what you could do they'd want you on the team."

"Still, if you hadn't I'd be serving wing and rib combo's right now."

"What did Arlene have to say?"

"Urgh! So many things to do on top of actually being on the show! I _did_ get an offer from a web designer to create a new site, apparently there's a distinct lack of positive attitudes towards my new role."

"Oh? I haven't checked to see what the Galaxy Pioneers site has written about Troisha, they wouldn't say anything bad though."

"They haven't, it's the comments from fans. Specifically fans of Captain John Luke Kirkton. Your girls don't like me at all Bill."

"Pfft! As if their opinions matter!"

"They do if it's all the network sees! If the public hate me how long will it be before I'm turned into the villain of the show or worse – fired or being unpopular!"

Bill nodded, he saw what Sookie's problem was and he felt bad for her but he was more concerned that if he kept dating her, his fans would turn on him. Maybe, he thought, it would be best to cool things off, no need to break up – she was good in bed so it would be stupid for him to burn any bridges and she was dependant on him enough for him to get away with a number of indiscretions and still be forgiven.

~v~

_To: Eric Northman_

_From: Arlene Fowler  
><em>

_Subject: Re: Sookie Stackhouse Website._

_Dear Mr. Northman_

_After discussing your request to create a fan site for my client, we have decided to make you an offer which would be greatly to your benefit._

_The examples of your previous work were very impressive and as you have mentioned, the official Sookie Stackhouse site is in need of an overhaul. Our offer is that you redesign and maintain the official site; in exchange for this service you will receive a one off payment for the rebuild and further monthly payments for maintenance._

_We would appreciate a prompt response to this correspondence and, if you are amenable to negotiation, setting up a meeting with my client present to form a plan of what the site will look like and contain._

_Regards_

_Arlene Fowler._

Eric sat in his chair and stared at the text in front of him, all he had contacted them for was to see if they would endorse his fan site and now they want him to be the webmaster for the official Sookie Stackhouse site? The rebuild would be fine; it was the upkeep he was worried about. He'd need to spend a lot of time making sure trolls didn't spoil the positive spin the site would need to put on Sookie. If it was a fan site, he would have more freedom in letting whoever post whatever they want but with an official site he'd have to constantly make sure visitors were behaving.

Not only that, they wanted a meeting, with Sookie Stackhouse in the same room as him ... possibly. The address at the bottom of the email was in NYC, there was no way on earth he was ready to go to a huge city and meet with strangers. He'd agreed to get counselling and some old friend of Felipe's was coming over tonight to talk to him but Eric knew from internet research that there was no quick fix for his problem – how could he explain to this Arlene chick that there was no way he would be able to come to New York for a meeting? Maybe this Mr. Cataliades would be able to help him work out what to tell them.

He decided to fill the time until Mr. Cataliades arrived by doing some preliminary designs for the site, he already had a cache of photo's of Sookie to work from and chose a feminine but subtle colour scheme. He reproduced the information from her current site but added some buttons down the left side to navigate to other areas that would need to be included, the details were the same but Eric chose a larger, more elaborate font to make it look like the facts were interesting without even reading what was there. When Pam shouted downstairs that dinner was ready, Eric was shocked that he had been so absorbed in his task he didn't notice that 5 hours had passed. It was 6pm; he would have a little more time after eating to tinker with the design.

"So, Eric, how was your day? Are you looking forward to finding out what Al has to say?"

"Al? Is that Mr. Cataliades' name?"

"Well, it's what _I_ call him but we went to university together, I'm sure he'll tell you what you can and can't call him."

"Okay, well today I got an offer to design a TV stars official website so I was messing around with some designs all afternoon."

"A TV star?" Pam and Felipe asked in unison

"Uh huh, Sookie Stackhouse. You remember her right?"

Pam rolled her eyes; she should have known her son wasn't totally over his obsession with the young actress. "How could I forget? The Apple Pie princess turned orgy whore, are you sure getting involved with that kind of business is a good idea Eric?"

"What kind of business?"

"The porn industry, that's what she's doing now right? I definitely read somewhere that when she hit 18 the offers started rolling in."

Eric ground his teeth and glared at his Mom. "She's never done anything like that, the ... orgy was a set up, I'm sure of it, she was drugged but that's all in the past. She's got a new role, a big one, on Galaxy Pioneers."

Pam and Felipe both nodded, Felipe took things at face value and knew Eric was good at judging which jobs would be lucrative and interesting at the same time but Pam was wary. She thought Eric being involved with the actress who created such a scandal five years ago was _not_ a good thing, even if it was on a professional level, Pam was all too aware of the obsession he had with Sookie Stackhouse when she played Helena Falmer and was sure that he had gotten over it and moved on, it concerned her that he hadn't. She would need to keep an eye on him, but then maybe her being so protective was what had gotten them into this mess? They ate in relative silence, only voicing their appreciation of the meal Pam had made. Eric knew his Mom didn't approve of his move to work on the Sookie Stackhouse website; it was obvious from the tone of her voice and the frown creasing her brow. He knew that Pam thought he had some sick obsession with the actress and that he was stalking her, which wasn't entirely accurate, he had an unhealthy interest in her – but it's not like he had a great deal of scope for hobbies and such and he didn't _stalk_ her, he just checked up on her online on a regular basis – the same as any fan of a celebrity would do. Right?

After dinner Eric excused himself to go back to working on a different layout and colour scheme for Sookie's site for a while before his counsellor arrived. He wasn't so absorbed in his work that he didn't hear the doorbell when it rang, on one hand he was eager to get help for his issues but on the other hand he was apprehensive about talking to a stranger about his problems. He saved his work and waited for his Mom or Felipe to let him know Mr. Cataliades was there to speak to him, he waited for 15 minutes and still there was no knock on his door or call from the hallway outside the entrance to the basement. Eric started to get worried; didn't this counsellor _want_ to talk to him? Had Mr. Cataliades realised that Eric was a complete loser and didn't deserve his time? Eric felt his heart speed up as he remembered all the times he'd spoken to people other than his Mom and Felipe. Dr. Ludwig pitied him, the guys at school had ridiculed him and the girls at school had stood back and laughed at him, his palms were slick with sweat as he eyed the space under his bed. He imagined Mr. Cataliades coming down to the basement and taking one look at him before laughing and calling him Boo Radley like his Mom's friend Sheena did a few years ago.

Eric walked over to the bed and grabbed his pillow, hugging it to his chest as he panted; he was on his knees ready to crawl into his safe area when he heard the door open over the ringing in his ears. Unable to get to the hiding place without it being discovered, Pam was the only person who knew about his safe space; he scooted backwards until the wall stopped him from going any further. His eyes were screwed closed so tight he could feel the muscles in his cheeks hurt from the exertion, a hand touched his shoulder and he flinched away from it.

"Eric honey, it's Mommy. You're okay baby, come back to me."

Eric opened his eyes and found his Mom kneeling in front of him before she gathered him into her arms. He noticed Felipe and a rotund man standing behind her but focussed on the soothing motion of being rocked back and forth by his Mom and having his long hair stroked by her loving hands.

"Is he always as bad as this?" The rotund man, obviously Mr. Cataliades, had a comforting baritone voice that sounded as rounded as his belly.

"Not when he's been at home, there have been a few times after he's been outside but ... I have no idea what may have set this off."

Mr. Cataliades nodded. "We should go back upstairs until he's calmed down, Pam could you let me know when he's ready?"

"Sure Al, I'll come get you."

Pam continued shushing her baby boy until his breathing regulated and she felt the tension lessen in his shoulders. She urged him to stand up and guided him to sit on the edge of his bed without unwrapping her arms from around her body. It was easier when he was a child, now he was an adult and well over 6 feet tall it was slightly more of an operation.

"Are you feeling better baby boy?"

"A little."

"What brought that on honey? Are you scared of talking to Al?"

"I'm not scared of talking to him, I just ... I thought that he would make fun of me, like Sheena and the kids from school did."

"Oh honey! He's here to listen not to judge or voice his opinion on you. Will you speak with him? Please?"

"Do I have to go upstairs?"

"No, no honey. I'll go get him, you stay here."

Eric nodded and tentatively placed his pillow back on the bed where it was supposed to be. Moments later Pam came back with Mr. Cataliades, he looked friendly, kind and like he _wanted_ to listen to people. Pam sat back on the bed next to Eric as the counsellor rolled Eric's chair over from his desk, the wheels moving back and forth as his weight settled into it.

"Hi Eric, I'm Aloysius Cataliades. You can call me Al." The counsellor laughed at his Paul Simon imitation before clearing his throat. "Anyhoo, I'm just going to try and get to know you a little tonight, would you like your Mom to hang around for that?"

Eric nodded vaguely and Al clapped his hands together before standing to remove his jacket, Pam took one of Eric's hands between both of hers and smiled at him encouragingly.

"Felipe tells me you've got your own web design business, run right here from this very room! Impressive, do you have a big client base?"

"Uh ... yeah. I just got offered some work for a very high profile client actually."

"Cool! I see you've got long hair, is that a conscious thing for the ladies or lazy chic?"

"No it's not ... I don't ... there are no ladies, I just ... I hadn't actually noticed."

Aloysius nodded and took in Eric's appearance further, if he wasn't so pale he could be a model, he had a handsome face, broad shoulders, strong arms and even though he was sitting down it was apparent that he was a tall man.

"So is there anything you want to talk to me about?"

"Uh ... I don't know. Shouldn't you be analysing why I was having a panic attack earlier?"

Al waved his hand to dismiss the notion. "Another time, tell me about this high profile client you have."

"She's a TV star, just landed a big role and wants me to update and maintain her site ... actually maybe there's something you can help me with. They want me to go to New York and have a meeting with them but ..."

"Yes, yes, you're in no shape to be in the big city with strangers. Tell them the truth; until you start being upfront about your anxiety instead of trying to hide from it you'll always be caught in a cycle. I wasn't going to touch on your agoraphobia tonight but you need to accept your issues before I can even begin to help you with them."

"So if I just tell everyone I'm a freak I'll get better?" Eric heard Pam's sharp intake of breath at his description of himself and noticed Al's raised eyebrow.

"Is that how you see yourself Eric? A freak? If that's your opinion then you're one of 1.8 million freaks in North America and that's just the agoraphobics, in fact around 18% of people in your age group suffer from an anxiety disorder of some kind, that's a lot of freaks ... around 40 million freaks to be specific."

Eric opened and closed his mouth a few times, making himself look like a suffocating fish; he wondered why he'd never done any research on his agoraphobia. He exhausted the information that was online about his ME, what stopped him from doing it with his panic attacks?

_Because I thought it was just me being a crazy freak. ME has distinct physical attributes but mental illness is ... well ... mental._

"Eric." Aloysius continued. "Were you diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? I'm wondering this because you should have been offered medication to help you cope with everything."

"No drugs, Dr. Ludwig suggested them but ... no more drugs."

"It's taken you a long time to decide to seek help but now you have, well done! It's a big step but we have a long way to go, you're actually very lucky to have your Mom and Felipe, their support for you will be very important throughout the processes of healing but you can't hide, you have to be honest with yourself and this new client you've gained."

Eric nodded and Al made arrangements to return the next evening, bolstered by his counsellors words, Eric went to his PC and started to reply to Arlene's email.

~v~

The young actress was still on a high from her meeting with the director and producers after the shoot. Sookie was dizzy from the amount of praise they piled on her abilities, she had been nervous as one of her final scenes had been Troisha advising the ship's second in command Sula Wharton, played by Lorena Ball, to end her pregnancy due to the foetus being damaged by radiation while out on a mission. Both Sookie and Lorena had acted their socks off and had shared a very emotional embrace after the cameras stopped rolling. Even Bill's lack of enthusiasm had failed to bring her down, he'd told her that praise was good but as long as she stuck with him she'd have a place on set, it had angered her momentarily that he would tell her that she got the part on her own merits one day then insinuate that she only had the role because of him another. After everything with Quinn she'd swore not to let her professional life depend on her personal life, but appearance was everything in her business and if she broke up with Bill now it would look like she'd used him to get the part on Galaxy Pioneers and dumped him as soon as she could after.

She got to her apartment and was dialling Arlene's number before she had her jacket off. Her agent picked up after two rings, excitedly asking her how everything went.

"It was amazing! It was so good to be in a really meaty role and the director and producers totally kissed my ass afterwards!"

"I knew it Sookie! _You_ are gonna be the next big thing girlfriend!"

"Fingers crossed Arlene, Bill was being pissy, told me as long as I stuck with him I'd be fine."

"Oh no he didn't! That ass! I swear if it wouldn't make you look like a complete bitch I'd advise you to kick his weedy butt to the kerb."

"I know, the time will come Arlene, I just need to wait for the right moment. So is there anything for me? Oh! Did our potential web master get in touch? Uh ... Ewan ... no! Eric, right?"

"Umm ... yeeeah about that, there's a little problem. He can't come and meet with us."

"Oh? Doesn't he want the job? I have to say if he doesn't he's an asshole, it's a totally fantastic ..."

"He wants the job honey, he sent screenshots of a mock-up site he produced yesterday and it looks amazing. He can't come and meet with us because ... uh ... I don't quite know how to say this so I'll quote from his email. _Due to an unfortunate past, I suffer from an anxiety disorder that makes leaving my home highly uncomfortable and stressful. I am willing to correspond through email and, perhaps later, telephone conversations but at this time I am unable to travel to New York for a face to face meeting._ He's basically agoraphobic, it's up to you but from the design he sent me I'm leaning towards saying 'fuck agoraphobia, let's get him onboard'."

"Is it that good?"

"Sookie, the font, the colour scheme, the photo's he picked out ... it's like he knows you."

"Okay, let's get him working then. Do you think he'll want some personal photos from my family album to use?"

"He might, I'll ask when I email him back. Do you want his details, in case there's something you want to include?"

"Yeah, just forward the mail with the mock-up attached, I'll get his address from that."

"Will do. I'll get this show on the road as soon as grab another coffee. You take care sweetie, have another great day tomorrow!"

"Oh I will Arlene, I'm back in the game now – there'll be no stopping me!"

Sookie decided that coffee sounded like a fantastic idea and started a pot brewing as she booted up her lappy. Stirring her cup, she wondered if the stuff on the other sites was as bad as Arlene made out, she put the hot mug on the table next to her and poised her fingers over the keyboard before stopping herself.

_Nah, that's a sleeping bear I don't wanna poke. I'm feeling good right now, why spoil it?_

Instead, she decided to Google something of more interest to her – her mysterious agoraphobic web designer. After taking five minutes to dig his full name out of her hazy memories of the last few dizzying days, she typed 'Eric Northman' into the search engine with the index fingers of both hands (typing was never her strong suit). A sizable amount of results came up, the first was indexed as 'A First Hand Account of Living with M.E', just as she was about to click on it her phone rang – it was Bill.

"Hi there sweetheart."

"Don't do that Bill; don't call me up like nothing is wrong when you completely shat all over my good mood earlier."

"Sookie." He sighed. "You know you're a good actress, I know you're a good actress, why do you need the higher ups telling you what you already know?"

"Because they pay me Bill, their opinion counts for more in my professional life than yours – just remember that."

"Or what Sookie? You'll dump me?" He chuckled into the phone, to Sookie's ears it sounded incredibly sinister. "_You_ need to remember, that publically, you need to look good and breaking up with me ... _now_ ... would not make you look good sweetheart. I'll be over at ten, let's just put this little bump in the road behind us."

Sookie hung up on him and counted the hours she had before he would show up at her door. It's just as well she was a good actress – she was going to need those skills outside the studio for a while ... again. All her thoughts of investigating Eric Northman were forgotten as she took her script for the next day and shut herself in her bedroom to read the lines she'd already memorised.

~v~

Eric turned the gadget over in his hands, he had only ever used it to call his Mom or Felipe but tonight he was to have another counselling session with it. Aloysius figured that before he could go out and meet people other than Pam and Felipe, he had to get used to being able to talk to others first, when he was comfortable calling people he had never met and didn't panic that they would mock or belittle him then he'd be one more step closer to getting better and living a normal life. He looked at the business card with the counsellor's details on it, then the clock – he still had 10 minutes before his appointment so he decided to put Mr. Cataliades number in the memory of his phone, wondering why he hadn't done it before now, then sat nervously rocking and drumming his fingers against his desk. Deep down, Eric knew he had no reason to be nervous about calling Al but this was a first and considering he was an almost 25 year old man who had never completed High School, had a real friend or a girlfriend, went out to shop for clothes on his own and he'd never drank in a bar – there were a lot of firsts he thought about, calling someone other than a parental figure was nothing!

It only rang once before Eric heard that comforting voice. "Hello Eric! How are you feeling?"

"Fine, actually. I was a little nervous the first time we did this but I know you won't say anything that would make me uncomfortable."

"Good, good, now on a scale of one to a hundred, how uncomfortable or anxious were you just before you dialled my number? With one being not anxious at all, and a hundred as having a full blown panic attack."

"Umm ... 15 maybe, it wasn't bad at all."

They spoke more about how Eric was handling _thinking_ about leaving the house, Al gave him some breathing tips and hints about changing his thought processes before giving him his 'task' for the next day.

"Now Eric, your project for tomorrow is to call someone you've never spoken to before. Call information for a number, call one of your clients or maybe just call a local store for their opening hours. While you're on the phone I want you to rate how anxious you are before, during and after the call. Do you think that's something you could do?"

"Uh ... I'll try but if I can't?"

"If you can't you can't, there's no right or wrong here Eric – I'm just trying to help you extend your comfort zone to include everyday things that many people take for granted. It _will_ take time and it _will_ be hard sometimes but I won't push you unless I think you're ready."

"Okay."

Eric felt confident after Mr. Cataliades last comment – his counsellor wouldn't ask him to do something if he didn't think he was ready for, so therefore Eric figured he must be ready to call someone other than Pam, Felipe or Aloysius. He turned to his computer and logged in to Sookie's forum as the moderator so he could approve any relevant comments that had been made, there were a fair few members already even though the site had only been live for a week but the trolls and 'Bill Lovers' who disapproved of her and Mr. Compton's real life relationship were a very vocal and persistent minority. From the couple of emails he'd had from Sookie personally, she was very happy with the way the site looked and how he ran it, Eric liked that she always had ideas of what she wanted but she always _asked_ if it was possible rather than demand it be done.


	3. Barbed Wire Fence

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

As the actress dabbed at her red eyes and runny nose with a tissue, Arlene wondered what on earth could be done about her client's situation. Sookie had recounted the previous week's events for her agent from the phone call from Bill through the multiple conversations she'd had with him about his attitude, to his threat that he could get Sookie fired if she refused to continue their relationship, not just in a public sense but a biblical one too. It was one thing to say breaking up with him wouldn't look good in the papers or magazines but for him to tell her that her job was on the line unless she stayed with him was a completely different shade of wrong.

"I can't do this Arlene! This is Quinn all over again. Bill told me that if I refused to have full sex with him he'd expect _'oral pleasure' _in lieu of it or he'd go to the director."

"That's extortion honey and he's not going to get away with it, you stick to your guns and I'll handle the network."

"What? You mean like Alcide did all those years ago?"

"That isn't fair on Alcide to say those things Sookie, as I understand you accepted the deal to protect your family despite Alcide advising against it."

Before Sookie could admit that she'd made a low blow, Arlene's phone rang. Sookie blew her nose as quietly as she could and checked the time; she still had a couple of hours before she was due on set. Arlene's face went from annoyed to surprised in about three seconds flat.

"Wow! Eric! It's great to hear from you!" Sookie paused her sniffling to listen in on Arlene's side of the conversation. "You got them? Fantastic! We're really happy about the all the work that you're putting into Sookie's site, it looks fantastic so far."

"Arlene!" Sookie hissed.

"Could you hold on a sec Eric? Sookie's trying to get my attention." Arlene pressed the hold button on her phone. "What's up honey?"

"I saw a site that has the Actor doing a 'welcome to my page' video on it; does Eric think we should do that? I was gonna email him last night but Bill came round and ..."

Arlene nodded and pressed the hold button again. "Hi, Eric ... Eric? Are you there?" She sighed and hung up the phone. "He sounded really nervous, apparently his counsellor has been asking him to call people he's never spoken to before and I guess being put on hold was a little too much for him."

"He's getting counselling? For his ..."

"Agoraphobia and anxiety, yep. I'll email him your idea and ask if he's okay."

"And my Bill problem?"

"I'll call the network and ask for a meeting ASAP. In the meantime tell him to take a long walk off a short pier."

Sookie nodded and decided to make her way to the studio early, she liked hanging around with her cast-mates and the coffee was good, she just hoped Bill would be busy. While she was driving she thought about this Eric fellow having counselling and wondered if something similar could help her from getting involved with assholes, she had refrained from making friends for so long – how could she ever know she could trust them, and when she put herself out there look what happened. Her relationship with Bill had never been great, there was always something nagging at the back of her mind that things weren't totally ... _right_ but she stuck with it because he _seemed_ to see beyond her past. Sookie had told Bill exactly what had gone on back in California, he knew how she'd been blackmailed into keeping quiet for the sake of her career but now, here he was trying to do the same thing to her that he'd cursed Quinn, Ms. Pelt and Barry Horowitz for. Did he think that because she had gone along with it once she'd be all too willing to do it again? Or maybe he was just so insensitive and selfish that the thought he was repeating a process hadn't occurred to him?

As she walked into the studio Arlene sent her a text to tell her that Eric was fine and he was onboard with the welcome video for the site, Sookie replied asking her agent to set up whatever Eric needed from her while grabbing a large cup of coffee from the catering stand. Cursing as the hot drink burned her mouth; she used her foot to open the door to the lounge area but dropped her cup when she took in the sight before her.

Bill was up against the opposite wall with Lorena's legs wrapped around his waist, acting quicker and clearer than she thought she was able, Sookie held up her cell phone and snapped a photo of the Captain and his second in command screwing in the cast lounge. Bill was oblivious to Sookie's presence but Lorena started slapping his shoulder as soon as she locked eyes with Sookie.

"What the fuck Lorena? I'm almost done!"

"Bill." Lorena hissed. "Get the fuck off me right now!"

Bill slowly turned his head to see what Lorena was staring at, a snarl upon his lips and anger obvious in his expression. Sookie snapped another photo and ran when she saw Bill barrelling towards her.

"Gimme that goddamn phone bitch!"

Sookie's legs were working as fast as they could to get her somewhere safe, she searched the corridor for signs of security and smiled in relief as she saw Andre walking towards her.

"Andre! Andre, he's after me!"

"Who's after you chicklette?"

"Bill. I caught him screwing Lorena and took ..."

"Sookie, you gimme that phone right now or I'll ... oh ... uh ... hi Andre."

Andre stepped slightly in front of Sookie and glared at Bill. "She should give you the phone or what Mr. Compton?"

Behind Andre, Sookie was sending the photo's she just took to Arlene's cell and email. She was vaguely aware of Bill making some lame excuse for chasing and threatening her to Andre and didn't even want to think about what might have happened if she hadn't found the security guard. Peeking round Andre's small but blocky body, she saw Bill back away glaring at her and taking out his own phone. Knowing how PR worked from the shitty end of the stick, she dialled Arlene and hoped to God she wasn't busy.

~v~

Eric was scripting Sookie's 'Welcome to my site' speech and wondering if she wanted to do it in front of a real camera or via webcam when his phone rang. He stared at it, then around the room as if someone was going to appear to tell him who it was, the screen flashed 'Arlene Fowler' and Eric's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline – why on earth would she be calling him? Arlene knew all about his problems and how things had to be on his terms for him to handle things. He picked up the phone in a sweaty hand and grabbed his 'stress level evaluation' sheet, he noted down the number 70 in the 'before' column and pressed the green button.

"Hello?" His voice was scratchy from his dry mouth so he took a sip of water.

"Eric? It's Arlene. Look I know you're still trying to cope with ... stuff but we have a problem. I need you to have an official statement on the site now; this is something we can't keep silent on."

"Uh ... okay, I'll just put you on speaker and you can dictate what you want it to say." Eric opened a word document to take a rough draft and noted his anxiety was actually less than it was before he answered the call. He noted the number 50 in the 'during' column.

"Great! Okay here's what we want it to say.

"_It is with sadness that I inform my fans that my relationship with Bill Compton is over, things have been strained since before I started working on Galaxy Pioneers with him and our working together seems to have further exposed some negative personality traits we previously tried to ignore but I cannot and will not ignore infidelity. I wish Bill the best of luck with his career and thank my fans for their support in advance during this trying time. Please have faith that this upheaval in my personal life will not affect my work on Galaxy Pioneers and will not prevent me from making my scheduled public appearances._

_Love to all_

_Sookie Stackhouse"_

That wraps things up quite nicely, don't you think?"

"Uh ... he cheated on her? What a dick!" Eric made a note on his sheet that his anxiety had been replaced by anger and was now at 30.

"That ain't even the half of it honey! You wouldn't believe what's gone on between the two of them in the last week."

"Okay well, I'll get this up ASAP. Is there a reason for the rush?"

"Yeah, as we speak Bill's PR team is probably trying to find a way to spin the fact Sookie caught him fucking another woman up against a wall and turn it around to blame her."

"Shit! She actually caught them at it? How on earth are they going to find a way to blame that on her?"

"It's PR honey, there's always a way, even if you have to stretch the truth a little. I'm sorry for calling you but it was the fastest way to get this moving."

"Actually ... I'm fine with that. Call anytime Arlene."

He ended the call and wrote 20 in the 'after' column before updating the site. When Arlene had put him on hold this morning it had triggered a fairly intense panic attack, he was at home alone and had to use the breathing technique Al had told him to and rationalise his reaction. He had been rationalising that it wasn't likely that Arlene had put him on hold so she could make fun of him with someone and when he got her mail apologising and asking if he was okay, it clarified his feelings towards dealing with the agent – if she _had_ been laughing at him then she wouldn't have done that. His computer pinged as it received a new email; he was surprised to find it was from Sookie.

_To: Eric Northman_

_From: Sookie Stackhouse_

_Subject: The latest News_

_I hope, by now, Arlene has contacted you and asked you to update my site and I also hope that the sudden request hasn't made your anxiety issues flare up but this is the crazy world of fame and unfortunately the machine stops for no-one!_

_We have a meeting with the director and producers soon to talk about the statement that Bill's PR people released, please cross your fingers for us as they've laid it on pretty thick and at this point in time, you're one of the only people on my side. Either I or Arlene will update you after the meeting so we can give you another update for the site._

_Much love_

_Sookie_

Eric was a little confused as to what she meant by Bill's PR people 'laying it on thick' and checked Bill's site to find out see if that could clear things up. The amount of anger he had felt when he heard that Bill had hurt Sookie by cheating on her was miniscule compared to the level of rage he was experiencing as he read Bill's official statement.

_Dear loyal fans. It is with a heavy heart that I admit to you that I have had to end my relationship with Sookie Stackhouse, as you all know, Miss Stackhouse has a dark sexual history and after trying to deal with her requests through our relationship I could no longer stand to be asked to partake in orgy's and threesomes. I am a clean living, one woman man and I am proud that I did not give in to Miss. Stackhouse's salacious demands. Any accusations of infidelity are completely unfounded and I am extremely sad that someone would accuse me of this disrespectful behaviour. I am, as ever, thankful for your support during this heartbreaking and stressful time._

_William T Compton_

Eric was astounded at the route Bill's PR people had taken, what kind of man cheats on his girlfriend then tries to convince the public that he was tired of _her_ sexual demands? He was caught screwing another woman, there is photographic evidence of it, yet he still denies it? The guy is either far too stupid or far too confident, either way it wasn't good for Sookie – it was pretty obvious that neither Sookie or Arlene fought dirty, and Eric knew Jack shit about PR, he suddenly thought that this situation was a lot deeper than he ever wanted to go. As an ardent Sookie supporter and the webmaster of her site would he be a target? What if Bill's PR people found out about him and made his _condition_ public? Eric felt the familiar and unwanted tightening in his chest and heard the ringing start in his ears, he reached for a paper bag and tried to rationalise his fears, tried to make them unfounded and ridiculous ... but he couldn't.

~v~

Sookie stared in wonder at Rasul, the creator and director of Galaxy Pioneers, then she switched her focus to the visibly angered expression Bill and his agent, Clancy, were sporting.

"What do you mean we've made a huge mistake?" Clancy sputtered. "The statement we published on was accurate!"

"Are you kidding me?" Rasul stood up and held his iphone two inches away from Clancy's face. "In the statement it was denied that Bill had messed around while he was still involved with Sookie, does this _look_ like a faithful man?"

Clancy opened and closed his mouth and Bill shifted in his seat before speaking up. "I had already broken up with Sookie due to her sexual proclivities prior to this happening."

"That's a bald faced lie Bill Compton!"

"Calm down honey, just let him dig his own grave." Arlene patted her arm reassuringly.

"Bill, I know you're a big draw for the show and you're a decent actor to boot but not decent enough for me to believe that the time stamps on these photo's and your statement make your story truthful and, to be honest, even if you _are_ telling me the truth – screwing another woman hours after dumping a deviant doesn't make you a good guy. Now this is a shit storm because the statements on you and Sookie's sites contradict one another, _someone_ is embellishing and I'm inclined to think that it's you Bill."

"Sookie has no reason to lie about breaking up with Bill, if anything, seeing as so many think she only got this job because she was screwing him, she had more reasons to keep the relationship going for the sake of her image."

"She doesn't have an image!" Bill stood up so fast his chair scooted a few feet behind him. "The only reason she's got this gig _is_ because she was screwing me! Rasul! You can't let this ... _harlot_ bring the show bad publicity!"

Rasul laughed and waved his hand in front of him to indicate that everyone stop talking. "Seriously? There's no such thing as bad publicity and aside from an isolated incident almost six years ago, Sookie has done nothing to promote an image of promiscuity. What exactly is it you want me to do Bill? Do you think I'm going to fire a damned good actress because you couldn't keep it in your pants?"

Both Bill and Clancy looked taken aback by Rasul's attitude; Arlene smirked and drummed her long fingernails on the tabletop. "Well, _gentlemen_, I'm not sure what else there is to talk about. Sookie's place in the cast is in no danger and as reputations go, the coin toss is favouring my client. Bill, Clancy – I expect that bogus statement you put on the site to be retracted and a public apology to be made to my client, or those pictures find their way to every tabloid on the east coast."

"Not gonna happen." Clancy crossed his arms over his chest and Bill snorted. "We stand by Bill's version of events."

"Hmm." Arlene tapped a finger against her chin. "I wonder what Lorena and her representatives would make of that. As Rasul previously mentioned, you dump one woman for having loose sexual morals then hours later you're fucking a different woman against a wall? That doesn't look good for you _or _Lorena." Rasul smiled as Bill and Clancy showed their shock at Arlene's words. Contrary to Eric's musings, it seemed that Arlene actually _did_ know how to play dirty. "Maybe you should speak to Lorena's reps before you make any hasty decisions boys, after all, the shots Sookie got clearly showed who Bill was giving the good news to. Leaking the pictures isn't an idle threat and trying to blacken my client's name by dredging up a past that isn't even accurate is beyond low."

As Arlene and Sookie left the room and didn't stop walking until they were next to Arlene's car. Arlene sighed and dumped her briefcase on the roof of her Altima.

"Sookie, even if Clancy and Bill retract that statement the damage is done. The incident in Cali is a black mark against your character and you can bet dollars to donuts that this won't be the last time it's dragged up to try and make you look bad."

"I know, it's ... I try to make it stay in the past but ..."

"But nothing, you're a big girl now. When that asshole blackmailed you while disguising it as a deal, you were a child, Alcide knew it was wrong but you and your parents were so fucking gung-ho about you being some big star there was nothing he could say that would sway you and make you do what should have been done in the first place – put the bastard in jail and try to come out with some semblance of respect for yourself."

Sookie's eyes welled and her lips quivered. "I get it Arlene, I made a mistake! Don't you think I realised that as soon as I agreed to the crazy deal?"

"Sook, I'm not saying these things to upset you – I'm trying to say that _you were an impressionable child_ when that deal was made and now that deal is coming back to bite you in the ass as an adult. It's time Sookie; it's time for the goddamn truth!"

"But they'll ruin my family, they said so."

"What exactly is it they have on your family? Nothing! That's what! Your brother is retired through injury, there's no career to ruin. Your parents are living the quiet life in Corning, your Gran isn't around anymore ... there's nothing _vaguely truthful_ that they can come up with to hurt you."

Sookie nodded slowly. "I get that but they'll just make stuff up and by the time we prove them wrong the damage will have been done."

"Don't you think they'll be far too busy dealing with the mess that Quinn, Pelt and Burnham created to be spinning tales? You were a minor and they covered up the fact you were raped, they sent away the doctor that your parents called to examine you, they omitted that you wouldn't have even been in that situation if it was not for John Quinn. Even if they manage to wade through that crap and try to counter with a sordid tale of woe from someone your third cousin bullied as a child – no-one will take it at face value, any publication worth its salt will question whatever comes out of their mouths."

"So ... how do we go about this?"

"We call Eric, that's what we do. Instead of recording a 'welcome to my site' blurb, we record a 'my shameful past was all a lie to protect a rapist' candid confession. This _has_ to be kept under wraps; we can't trust anyone in the business not to leak what you're doing. Eric is tech savvy, he can set up and film, I'll help you with the speech."

Sookie took a deep breath and closed her eyes, after listening to what Arlene said she realised that her agent was right on the money – it _was_ time for the truth. She nodded and Arlene smiled widely, pulling out her phone and searching the contacts for Eric's number.

~v~

"Eric? Dinner's ready ... Eric?"

Pam padded down the steps into the basement and looked around for her son; he wasn't on any of his exercise equipment or in front of his computer or resting on his bed. Pam sighed and knelt down next to the bed, poking her head underneath to find Eric hugging his pillow with one arm and using the other to hold a paper bag to his mouth. Pam sat back on her knees and started massaging her temples with her fingers; she thought he'd been doing well with his counselling, she _thought_ he was starting to make progress.

"Eric honey, what's happened?" She heard Eric muffled voice from inside the paper bag beneath the bed. "I ... I can't hear you baby boy. Think about what Al told you about your breathing, concentrate and feel the anxiety leave your body with every breath."

She watched as the paper bag slid out from under the bed, closely followed by Eric, he looked at Pam and she could see how haunted his expression was. Pam put an arm around him as he settled on the bed and rubbed his shoulder lovingly.

"Do you want to come upstairs for something to eat or do you want me to bring it down here?"

Eric looked surprised and placed his bag and pillow on the bed. "Don't you want to know what set me off?"

"Well." Pam shrugged. "I'd like to know but I'd prefer that you told me about it when you were ready to talk about it. Now, what do you want to do about dinner?"

"Uh ... I'll come up, thanks Mom."

Pam ruffled Eric's hair and laughed as he batted away her hand before taking his hand and walking upstairs with him to the kitchen where Felipe was patiently waiting to eat. Smiling, the family sat down to their meal, the only noise in the room being the scrape of cutlery on plates and enthusiastic chewing. Pam was clearing away the dinner plates from the table as Felipe sliced up a pumpkin pie for dessert.

"They ... uh." Eric cleared his throat and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. "They want me to help Sookie do something for the website. Arlene called and said that they trust me and that she and Sookie want to come here to ... do the thing, y'know, because I can't go there."

Pam stood stock still, holding the plates over the sink, her mouth parted and her eyes darting around the room as she tried to think of the best thing to say. She placed the dishes in the sink and turned around to lean against the counter.

"Okay, is that why you were in your safe place?" Eric nodded and Felipe wondered again where this 'safe place' was. The basement was a fair size but there were very few nooks or crannies that would fit a grown man. "That's good though right? That they trust you and will come all the way here so you can help them."

"Yeah I guess it is. That wasn't really the first thought that popped into my head but I don't think I can ... meet them on my own." Pam and Felipe both closed their eyes, ready for Eric to attach himself to Pam's apron strings once again. "I'm gonna call Al, do you think he'll help me?"

His Mom and Step-Dad's eyes snapped open in surprise and Pam sat next to Eric at the table, taking his hand and smiling at him. "Eric, that's a great idea honey! I'm sure Aloysius would be really pleased to help you out with this step you're making!"

"Okay, I should probably call him ... as soon as I've had some pie, not calling without pie."

The small family laughed and Felipe poured cream over the three bowls of sticky dessert before setting them on the table. In between mouthfuls, Eric filled Pam and Felipe in on the details of the past couple of days Pam stopped eating when Eric was telling them about the statement on Bill's site. She scraped her plate into the garbage, muttering about douche bags who think that because a girl has a reputation they can use it to get away with screwing her over. Eric and Felipe looked at each other, knowing that it had hit a raw nerve but neither of them knowing any of the details and neither of them intrusive enough to ask. Eric decided to leave Felipe to handle his Mom's mood and went back to his room to call his counsellor.

~v~

Sookie and Arlene pulled up at the one storey house, surveying the area and noting that it was neither affluent nor poverty stricken. Taking what they needed from the car, they walked to the front door and Arlene rang the doorbell. Mr. Cataliades swung open the door to greet the visitors who had Eric in such turmoil, when he had spoken to Eric he could see that the man was excited and honoured one moment yet filled with anxiety and self-doubt the next.

Sookie assessed their greeter, with the exception of a three piece suit, he looked like the kind of guy who spent a lot of time at a computer, he didn't look like an 'Eric' though but not everyone's names and appearances matched. Arlene smiled at the rotund man and extended her hand while Sookie nervously shifted from foot to foot.

"Eric! It's so wonderful to meet you at last!"

Mr. Cataliades laughed a deep rumbling laugh and took Arlene's hand, shaking it lightly. "Oh I'm not Eric. I'm his counsellor Aloysius Cataliades; it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Fowler and of course you too Miss Stackhouse."

Sookie nodded as she shook hands with Aloysius and found her curiosity about the man running her website increase. Both women entered the house, going down the hall as gestured by Mr. Cataliades. He stepped in front of them and opened the door to the basement, looking at them pointedly before walking down the stairs so he would be the first one that Eric saw enter his room. Eric had been pacing back and forward, his nails had been bitten almost to the quick and his hair was sitting haphazardly from him running his fingers through it so much. When he saw Al, he stopped and his hands clenched into fists, his heartbeat resonated in his ears and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Eric saw two sets of high heels coming down the stairs behind his counsellor, any second now and they'd be able to see him, his eyes flicked between his pillow, his safe place and the stairs. In a final rush decision he sat down on his computer chair and busied his nervous hands with picking at the buttons of his shirt. Focussing on the buttons instead of the feet approaching calmed him a little, when he heard a throat clear, his head snapped up to see his counsellor with Sookie Stackhouse and, he assumed, Arlene Fowler.

Sookie observed many things about the young man sitting next to the desk; the first was his tall frame, then his long hair which was the same colour of blonde as hers. When he looked up she was taken aback by how handsome he was, he didn't look like your stereotypical geek or your usual image of a socially awkward agoraphobic but then, she'd never met one in real life, just seen them portrayed on TV shows and movies. When Eric stood up and straightened to his full height, both Arlene and Sookie had to crane their necks upwards to see his face.

"Uh ... hel ... hi. I'm ... umm ... Eric Northman, itsnicetameetchu."

Arlene reacted first, stepping forward a little and stretching to place her hand on his forearm. "It's really great to meet you too Eric, I'm Arlene and of course, this is Sookie."

Eric nodded but didn't look them in the eye, Sookie decided to follow Arlene's lead and gently took a step in Eric's direction, ducking and tilting her head to the side so she was in his field of vision.

"Hey Eric!" She kept her voice soft but enthusiastic. "I'm really glad you could help us out with this, thank you so much for letting us come into your home, I hope this isn't too much for you."

Eric stepped back from her and fingered the bottom button of his shirt again. "Uh ... s'okay. Doyouguyswantanythingtodrink?"

"Yes Eric, that's a wonderful idea!" Mr. Cataliades boomed. "I'm sure the drive from the big city has left you ladies quite parched. Why don't we go back upstairs and I can fix us some refreshments?"

Sookie and Arlene voiced their satisfaction with the suggestion and turned towards the stairs but while Arlene started the upwards climb, Sookie stopped and turned back to Eric.

"It would be lovely if you joined us Eric but if you don't we'll be back soon."

Eric looked at Al and his counsellor nodded to him. "Yes Eric, it _would_ be most pleasing if you were able to sit with us."

Mr. Cataliades followed the visitors back up the wooden steps, wondering if Eric was quite ready for this step. He understood that Arlene and Sookie were aware that Eric had problems but he didn't think that they quite knew the effect that this visit might have on Eric, no matter how necessary they thought the visit was. Arlene and Sookie waited for the counsellor in the hall and followed him into the kitchen; they sat at the dining table and shared a look as Mr. Cataliades rooted through the fridge to offer them various beverages.

"I'll have coffee please, cream and sugar. I have to say, I was quite ... surprised to find Eric has contacted you about this. We really were hoping to keep our project between the three of us."

Sookie thought that was a little harsh and was about to voice her opinion when Mr. Cataliades laughed again. "I think you misunderstand many things Miss. Fowler. One, I have no idea why you are here – I only know that my patient asked for my support. Two, you are aware of Eric's condition, yet you expect to visit him here and interact with him like you would a normal young man. Three, I have no desire to gossip about whatever goes on here today and the fact you are insinuating I am here for any other reason than supporting Eric is a little offensive."

"I totally understand Mr. Cataliades." Sookie started before she was interrupted.

"Please call me Aloysius or Al, if you like."

"Okay ... Al ... uh, well, as I was saying, I know that you're here to support Eric and that is the _only_ reason you're here." She looked pointedly at her agent.

"Of course, I apologise Aloysius ... I'm just a little on edge about all this and after seeing Eric's reaction down there ..."

They were disturbed by a throat clearing from the doorway of the kitchen, Eric was half in and half out of the room, as if still deciding whether to go in and join them. Sookie watched as he fussed with his clothes, never looking directly at any of them. She wondered if he thought he wasn't welcome, which certainly wasn't the case.

"Eric! Please come in and join us? I'd love to speak with you about what we'd like to do today."

Eric still hovered at the door, rationalising his reasons for being worried about sitting at the table and having a drink with his visitors. They were here so he could _help_ them, despite their first meeting, Sookie still asked him to join them, Arlene was smiling warmly and Al was standing by the fridge waiting to see what he would do. Cautiously, Eric made his way to the table and sat in the chair closest to where his counsellor was standing. Everyone smiled brightly at him but Eric didn't notice as he continued his fascination with his buttons.

"Would you like a drink Eric?"

"Uh ... yes, water please Al. Thank you."

Aloysius nodded and looked through the cupboards for a glass, filling it with filtered water from a jug in the fridge before going back to the coffee maker and pouring three cups of hot java. When everyone was settled with their drinks, an uncomfortable silence fell across the table. Eric sipped at his water, enjoying the chance to just _get used_ to being in a room with other people. Aloysius started some small talk about the drive from New York City, which both Sookie and Arlene joined in with enthusiastically. After a short time, Eric started paying attention to their facial expressions when they were chatting and found himself smiling along with everyone else at an amusing anecdote Sookie was telling everyone.

"So ... I guess we should at least talk about our little project, is that okay with you Eric?"

Eric turned to Arlene and immediately shrank back into himself, muttering 'sure' into his chest. Just as Arlene was about to speak, Aloysius held a hand up for her to wait.

"Eric? Is there something about today that you're worried about? You know you can talk to me and it makes sense that if you have any concerns about whatever project Sookie and Arlene are here for, they should hear about them too."

Eric thought about it, cleared his throat then took a sip of his water before speaking. "I've never _done_ anything like this before, I'm _worried_ that if I mess up it'll make me look stupid and ... uh ..."

"It's not live TV Eric." Sookie butted in gently. "If you mess up it doesn't matter - it's your first time, everyone makes mistakes, especially when they aren't too sure what they're doing. I, for one, think you'll be fine and I'm so thankful that you've agreed to help us out at such short notice."

Eric nodded, looking into Sookie's eyes for the first time and seeing her compassion and gratefulness written over her features, she was more natural looking in the flesh and looked comfortable in her sundress. He noticed Arlene begin to fidget and frowned slightly, Sookie noticed the change in his expression and her own eyes followed his gaze.

"Are you okay Arlene?"

"Uh ... sure Sookie, I'm fine, I'm just a little anxious to get started." Arlene's face paled and she stared at Eric. "Oh Lord! I'm so sorry! My mouth just runs off sometimes, when I say anxious I didn't mean ..." She stopped as she noticed Eric and Aloysius smiling at her. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"It's okay Arlene, really, you didn't offend me and you're right about getting started." He turned to Aloysius. "To be honest the longer we sit around talking the more nervous I get."

The counsellor nodded. "Sure Eric, that makes sense." Aloysius addressed Eric's visitors. "Would I be ... unwelcome during the project you're working on."

Arlene was about to open her mouth but Sookie got there before her. "Y'know having a qualified professional, like you, nearby might not be a bad idea at all."

Mr. Cataliades looked surprised for a moment, wondering what kind of project between an actress and a web designer might be in need of a counsellor.

Eric had finished setting up the camcorder that Arlene had brought on a tripod (also supplied by Arlene) and was watching as Al and Arlene were pinning a pale blue bed sheet to one wall of his basement room. While Al and Arlene were attaching the sheet at the top, Sookie was gently straightening it so there weren't any creases, after his initial panic at the idea of and the arrival of his guests, Eric was feeling more at ease now they were all busy working together. He noted that Sookie had removed her shoes and was padding around his room barefoot, this hadn't been a purposeful move on Sookie's part and she was surprised at how comfortable she felt in Eric's own space when she realised she seemed to be making herself at home.

"It doesn't bother you does it Eric? Me walkin' around shoeless like it's my own place?"

"Uh ... actually no, it doesn't bother me. It's nice that you're comfortable and relaxed, you'll need to be for the next part I guess."

Sookie nodded and Arlene and Aloysius shared a look at their interactions. Once everything was set up and Eric had made a test recording to make sure the feed was streaming to his computer and he was able to access the file to edit, they got down to business. Sookie sat on the sheet, still barefoot and took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse and I have a few things I'd like to say ... wait!" She looked at her audience. "Is what I'm wearing okay? Do you think the sundress is a little 'church mouse'?"

Arlene tapped her finger against her chin before answering. "This is kind of a taped confession, you want people to be listening to what you say not look at what your wearing Sookie. Is it so important?"

"Well ... I was thinking maybe I could change into something more comfortable, I have a T-shirt and shorts in my bag."

Aloysius cleared his throat. "If I may?" The women nodded and Eric just stood back, quietly observing. "Sookie should be as comfortable as possible if she's revealing something about herself, if she looks like something is distracting her it'll take away from the speech."

"Uh ... you're revealing a truth right?" Everyone turned to Eric. "So you shouldn't hide behind an image – it should be the true you speaking."

"That is such a good point Eric!" Sookie gushed. "Okay, I'm gonna change into plain clothes and take off my make-up."

Aloysius nodded. "It's symbolic; physically you'll be stripped of your mask as well as emotionally."

Eric busied himself with familiarising all of the functions of the editing software he was going to be using. As well as having Sookie speak on film he wanted to add subtitles to the video before uploading it to the site. Sookie came out of the bathroom with a plain white, short sleeve t-shirt, black shorts, bare face and hair scraped back into a ponytail. Eric felt ... happy that she didn't mind any of them seeing her like this, she was a pretty girl but even the most beautiful women in the world hated being caught sans face paint and styled hair.

"Okay, I'm ready to get this done!" She rubbed her face with her hands and walked around the room shaking her arms and legs, then jumped on the spot a couple of times like she was warming up for a race.

"Interesting ... is this _exercise_ something you do when you're nervous Sookie?" Al was watching her actions intently.

"Yup, I like to shake off my nerves. This is probably the most important monologue of my life, I know we've got all day and that Eric can edit where necessary but I'd rather get it out, _get it right_, first time."

Arlene looked a little worried. "Hon, this is deep stuff you're talking about today. If you need to stop for any reason, any reason at all, just hold up your hand and we'll take a break okay?"

Sookie nodded and settled on the sheet with her legs crossed, Eric adjusted the camera to make sure her position and lack of shoes was in shot before giving Sookie a nervous smile and counted down from five with his fingers after pressing the record button.

During the filming of her recount of events, both back in California and with Bill, Sookie had to stop many times, either to dry her eyes or to simply calm down. Eric kept the requests for a break in the finished video, if it was edited too much then it would seem too polished or rehearsed and would be impossible for viewers to grasp how emotional Sookie was while speaking about her past. Aloysius had listened mouth agape at the actresses words and when she was done he asked if she would like to speak with him privately, which Sookie accepted without hesitation. Eric was disconnecting the camera from his computer when he heard Arlene's sniffling and saw her sitting crying on the edge of his bed.

"Are you okay?" The words sounded strange coming from his own mouth. Eric was more used to people asking _him_ that question.

"She's been screwed over by both of the men that she was involved with romantically Eric. I know her relationship with Quinn was engineered but the way he treated her was ... awful and _Bill_ ..." She spat out his name like it was a disease. "Sookie had told him all about what happened and he still used it against her to try and keep his own name out of the dirt."

"Well ... hopefully this will set the record straight. I knew the thing with Quinn was off somehow and I'd seen the rumours about him after it happened but any negative talk about his involvement was shut down fast citing the webmasters didn't want any legal wrangling."

"Sookie's little project here today isn't rumour – it's testimony and if it gives her a brighter future where she can read about herself without it being mentioned in a way that makes her look like a slut then our job is done. You said you knew it was 'off' after it happened, were you a fan of the soap?"

"Not really, my Mom was and I was ... sick a lot when I was younger. I really only watched for Sookie's scenes."

Eric blushed and felt decidedly uncomfortable in Arlene's presence all of a sudden. He made a hurried, mumbled excuse and went to lock himself in his bathroom. Arlene watched as Eric's demeanour changed and he rushed off, concerned she had pushed him too far with her question, she decided to see if Sookie and Aloysius had finished speaking yet. Raising her voice a little, she called through the door to let Eric know where she was going and went upstairs. Outside the entrance to the kitchen, Arlene heard Sookie's sobs and Al's quiet comforting voice.

"This has been a cleansing exercise for you Sookie, your secrets have weighed on you all these years, it's only natural for the elation of releasing those dark thoughts to have a major emotional impact."

"I huh hoped tuh to have a fuh fresh start so many times but now it fuh feels so real, suh so tangible. I wuh waited too luh long to duh do this. I'm ruh ready to luh leave my past just where it is, I'm ready tuh to move on."

Arlene's heart soared at Sookie's hope for a future, not only because they were friends to some degree, but a hopeful actress was a successful actress.

"That's good Sookie, moving on is important and now that these toxic relationships are in your past you can see the world with fresh eyes and feel more confident about starting new relationships."

"I'm not suh sure I could handle letting another man into my life, not for a luh long time, the only men I can trust are my Daddy and my brother."

"Well, that isn't quite true is it? You've trusted Eric a great deal today and me and in turn Eric has put a mountain of trust in you. You and Arlene are the only women he's spoken to, apart from his Mom, without having a panic attack in almost ten years; this was a very big day for him today. Does that change your perspective?"

"Oh Lord! Really? I had no idea he was so cut off from the world! It sure makes my problems look like I'm playing poor pitiful Pearl."

"Nonsense, just as the shadows of your past were affecting your present and future, the same thing has been happening to Eric, just on a larger scale. Everyone has the right to feel sad when there's something preventing them from getting on with life, so don't you feel like you don't deserve to feel sorry for yourself because others are worse off – that's the road to bottling your feelings up and it's a dangerous road Sookie."

Sookie nodded and silently thanked Eric for having his counsellor here today, she would have been a mess if Aloysius wasn't there to listen to her and change the way she was thinking about things. No doubt Arlene would have comforted her but her agent would have just tried to build her up instead of making her challenge her point of view on the situation.

"Uh ... Al?" Arlene entered the room rather than lurk in the doorway any longer. "I think I might have said the wrong thing to Eric, he's locked himself in the bathroom."

The redhead was chewing her bottom lip and wringing her hands together, Aloysius asked her what happened and she recounted the last few moments of conversation she had with Eric before Al chuckled and shook his head.

"It wasn't anything you said Arlene, don't you worry, Eric just seems to have realised that he shared more than usual without realising it. He's never told you about his childhood has he?"

"No, just that he suffered from an anxiety disorder and agoraphobia."

"Well those conditions don't just come out of thin air, there are always reasons folks end up like that. Just like Sookie here, Eric has a wall - the difference is that Sookie's wall was there to keep her from accepting and admitting her past has hurt her, Eric's is there to stop the world from hurting him. Congratulations girls, you made it over his wall."

"And he helped me to break my wall down." Sookie whispered and scrambled up from the table before heading back towards the basement.

"Those two ... they could be good for each other." Aloysius leaned back in his chair as if deep in thought at Arlene's words.

"They already have been. When Eric talks about Sookie and the work he's done with her website, you can see he's a different man. He's enthusiastic and open when the subject comes up and I could see that when Sookie was downstairs being filmed, she looked to _him_ for support. Like she knew that no matter what she said to him he would believe her and not judge her for it."

Arlene nodded and sat next to Al at the dining table. "Any chance of another coffee?"


	4. Cracks in the Plaster

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

Sookie made sure to make plenty of noise going down to the basement so Eric wouldn't be surprised by a presence in his room. Noting that he was nowhere to be seen, Sookie figured he was still in the bathroom and rapped lightly on the door.

"Eric? Hi, it's me ... uh ... Sookie. I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did today, I couldn't have done it without you." She turned her back to the door and slid down until she was sitting on the floor outside the bathroom. "I really felt comfortable talking about things with you there; I don't think I would have been able to ... be so open with anyone else there. I trust you not to judge me, even though I know that everything was partly my fault."

Eric listened to Sookie's words from under his bed and loosened the grip he had on his pillow a little. He identified with her situation more than a little, if he hadn't concerned himself with what everyone else thought of him, he wouldn't be in his situation either but he trusted Sookie not to judge him for letting the cruel taunts of others affect his life so much.

"I was bullied at school."

He tightened his hold on the soft comfort against his chest as Sookie looked around the room, knowing that his voice hadn't come from the bathroom. She wondered where he was hiding but then figured that he was hiding for a reason and decided not to wander around looking for him.

"You were? That's awful Eric! I wish there was something I could say or do to make it all better, bullying is horrible and cowardly ... I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's ..." Eric took a deep breath. "Its part of the reason I'm so fucked up, I have a hard time talking to people because I think they're only going to make fun of me or try to humiliate me."

It was easier talking to Sookie than it was with Al, maybe it was because Eric couldn't see her or her him but it had only been in his 3rd session with Al that he spoke about his fears of talking to people other than his Mom or Felipe. He saw her legs move from crossed to stretching out in front of her, one of her feet was about six inches away from the side of the bed, Eric scooted further away. Sookie heard the noise from under the bed and realised where Eric was, she felt humbled when she compared her situation to Eric's.

"You're not fucked up, not really, think about all the people who get bullied and it twists them, makes them treat people badly – _that's_ fucked up. Trying to prevent yourself from being hurt is just sensible, you might have taken it a step further than most ..." Sookie giggled a little and Eric found himself rolling over to face the direction she was sitting. "I can't imagine finding something to make fun of you for; you're ... a really nice guy Eric. The first guy, my age, I've felt that I could open up to and talk to and I hope you feel you can trust me like that."

"You don't think I'm lame? I'm hiding from the world, afraid to leave my house, running a business from my bedroom and freaking out when the wrong words slip out of my mouth?"

He saw her body move slightly as she shrugged, after she did it she realised he wouldn't be able to see her.

"I don't think you're lame, I would tell you what I really think of you – and it's not bad or mocking but I get the feeling that even compliments would make you freak out."

"Not if it's you saying them." Eric whispered and sighed.

"Sorry did you say something Eric?"

"No!" He cleared his throat. "Just ... uh ... who were we talking about?"

Sookie giggled at Eric's deflection and decided to follow his lead. "So Al is really cool huh?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that none of this would have happened if it wasn't for him. I was set on not telling you or Arlene why I couldn't meet to discuss the website and letting the opportunity pass me by."

Sookie nodded. "And he told you to tell the truth?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad he did, I googled you y'know, you had ME?" Her question was met with silence and she cringed at her blunt enquiry. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to press you; I just want to know all about you. You seem like the kind of person who's worth the time it takes to really get to know."

Under the bed, Eric smiled and revelled in the knowledge that Sookie Stackhouse wanted to get to know him. "I want to get to know you too, the real you, not the TV you."

Sookie wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do but she moved away from the door and lay on the floor next to the bed and saw Eric in the dark of his safe place. There was fear in his eyes, which was the last thing she wanted.

"Cool pillow. Do you have another one? That looks like it could be very comforting." She smiled when Eric's eyes darted to the mattress above his head and stood up to grab his other pillow from the bed before settling back down on the floor. She hugged the pillow to her body and rubbed her nose into it, her nostrils filling with the scent of Eric's hair. "Mmmmm ... I wish we didn't have to go. I'm enjoying being here with you."

"I'm enjoying you being here."

They stayed that way for a long time, just hugging their pillows and looking at each other, until Arlene and Aloysius came down to the basement to say it was time for Sookie and Arlene get head back to New York. Both the agent and the counsellor were surprised when Sookie jumped up from the floor when they came into the basement but thought better than to ask why. Sookie rapped her knuckles on the bathroom door and Eric smiled, she realised that his hiding place was secret and that meant a lot to him.

"Okay Eric, we have to go. I hope we'll see you again soon."

She walked over to the bed to place the pillow back where she found it and felt her heart jump when Eric's fingertips skimmed the top of her foot.

"Uh ... yeah Eric, we'll be in touch and you'll post that video after the news of its existence has gone viral right?"

"Of course he will Arlene! Eric is a professional; he knows what he's doing!"

The women grabbed their bags and headed back out to their car, while they were smiling and throwing things in the trunk, Sookie was sure she saw the neighbours curtains twitch and hoped that it didn't mean hassle for Eric.

~v~

Pam and Felipe entered the house to the sounds of laughter and conversation coming from the kitchen. They had spent the time after work at the mall in Horseheads, getting some dinner at Red Lobster and window shopping, although Felipe was very thankful when they eventually got the all clear to come home from Eric, window shopping was _not_ his favourite thing. Eric and Aloysius were sitting at the dining table sharing a bowl of cheetos and drinking Mountain Dew, chatting as if the tornado of anxiety that morning hadn't happened.

"Well! I can guess that today went well for you, baby boy! Did your famous friend get her project finished?"

"It ... it went really well Mom. Sookie's a really sweet girl, the video we made will be posted on the site when the circle completes."

"Circle?"

Eric nodded and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, there's a 'gossip circle' within the Galaxy Pioneer fandom. Maybe circle is the wrong description; it's more like a phone tree. I created a 'Sookienews' account on the Galaxy Pioneers forum, I post that there's about to be a press release or new post on her official site. The members of the official forum repost it on the fan forums and the word spreads, viral campaigns are becoming the most effective way to gain attention."

He adjusted Aloysius' laptop so Pam and Felipe could see and pointed out the forum they were watching was a John Luke Kirkton/Bill Compton fan site and when the word of Sookie's video being posted on her official site reached it, he would upload to the official site. All four of them crowded around the small screen, holding their breath every time Eric hit the F5 button, after ten minutes the post they were looking for appeared. Pam sucked in a shocked breath as she saw the title of the post was 'Slut features wants us all to know something! LOL'.

"Oh my! Is that what his fans call her? That's awful!"

Eric shrugged. "It's the perils of fan girls ... and fan boys but fan boys are generally less bitchy."

Eric excused himself and went down to his room to upload the video to Sookie's site, he sent text messages to both Sookie and Arlene the moment before he hit the button to send it live and once it was up and he made sure there were no technical problems, he went back to the forums and posted that the video they had been waiting for was now viewable.

~v~

In New York Rasul was in his office, he was torn between feeling bad for Sookie since she had been through so much and rubbing his hands together in glee at the publicity this would bring the show. Thinking of the possible rise in Sookie's reputation for coming out and speaking about a traumatic event made him realise about how Bill Compton's reputation would plummet after his obviously false press statement. He called the writers and producers to arrange a meeting, you could have a generally nice guy play an asshole and it worked out well but to have an asshole playing a nice guy wouldn't work.

Also in New York, Bill and Clancy both had their heads in their hands at the release of Sookie's video; it made them look bad, very bad.

"Face it Bill, there's no way for you to come out of this looking good. Did they do this because we refused to retract and apologise?"

"No Clancy, maybe if she'd done this before ... she told me about everything that happened with Quinn."

"Sh ... You knew? You knew the whole 'dark sexual history' thing was a lie and you still let us use it in the press release?" Clancy slammed his fist on the table before leaning over in his chair and pointing his finger in Bill's face. "Bill, I'm sorry but you've dug your own fucking grave. How could you be so ... callous? For the first time in my career I'm going to have to do damage control that goes against my client's interests."

"What do you mean?"

"You knew that press release was a lie, yet you let me go ahead and publish it! You LET me publish something that had the potential to make us look like lying sacks of shit because YOU withheld information from your agent. This _clusterfuck_ could have been avoided if _you_ were honest with _me_ and now I have to relay that to the directors and release a public apology on behalf of the company so my ass doesn't get fired!"

"So ... what do I do?"

"Find other representation, good luck with that."

Clancy marched out of his office and headed to the director's floor, the sweat was already gathering on his upper lip as he thought of how he was going to explain everything. Even though he _could_ rest the blame entirely on Bill's shoulders, he had to take some of the heat for denying Bill cheated even though there was photographic evidence. Realising that Mr. Compton was in the building, unescorted and pissed off at being dumped by his agent, Clancy called down to the security office to have a couple of the boys remove him from the premises.

~v~

Sookie drove up to the studio at less than five miles per hour, there was no way she could go any faster without injuring a member of the paparazzi that had swarmed around her car. She eventually got to the lot and made sure to keep her head held high as she entered the building, just like Arlene told her. As Sookie walked the corridors towards costume, she heard running behind her, it didn't register highly with her, people were always running around like crazy in there, she only took notice when her name was called.

"Sookie! Sookie, can I talk to you?"

Sookie turned to Lorena, ready to tell her where to shove her 'talk' but paused when she saw the pleading look on the fellow actresses face. "Lorena? Are you okay?"

"Sookie I've been going out of my mind the last couple of days! You have to know ... Bill told me he'd broken up with you and that you were only appearing together for the cameras. He told me that you knew we were seeing each other in secret, I had no idea you were still ... y'know and I can't believe I fell for his bullshit. I'm so sorry, when I saw the look on your face; I knew he'd lied to me."

"Oh my! Well, it's over now right? I'm so sorry he played you but you have to admit it's not half as bad as what he did to me."

"I know honey ... oh Lord; you're so brave to go public with what happened to you! I can't believe Bill thought all of those stories were true!" Lorena huffed in a 'what an idiot' fashion. "Anyone who actually worked in the business should have seen that there was something wrong with that whole sorry mess."

Sookie nodded, knowing that she didn't really want to get into the why's and wherefore's with Lorena in the corridor of a studio. "Hey, I gotta get to costume but thanks for letting me know what happened."

Sookie walked away from Lorena but it wasn't long before she was stopped by someone else, Rasul no less. "Sookie, Sookie, Sookie! Girl, you certainly know how to make a scene don't you? Have you got any idea what's been going on since your little speech went live?"

"Uh ... no, is it bad Rasul? I'm sorry, I just had to get it off my chest, I couldn't live with the secrets any longer!"

Rasul laughed. "Oh Sugar! It's so _not_ bad you won't believe it, you're gonna be a fucking gold mine for this show sweetie!"

Rasul linked her arm though his and led her to the conference room.

~v~

Eric woke up feeling happier than he had felt in ... well ... ever! He showered, shaved and dressed in record time before bouncing, _literally _bouncing, up the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast. He felt energetic, revitalised somehow, and for the first time since he was 15 – he headed for the coffee pot and poured himself a mug full of hot brown liquid. Pam and Felipe stared at Eric, mouths agape, as he sipped from the mug and smacked his lips appreciatively.

"Eric? Honey? You know it's been a while since you had coffee, maybe you should take it easy there?"

"I'll be fine Mom, I'm over the whole ME thing, I'm healthy as a horse! Well, physically anyway." Eric peered at the table and the spread of breakfast foods on top. "No paper yet today?"

"No, I haven't had the chance to go out and get it yet." Felipe immediately stood and headed for the door.

"Wait! Can I ..." Eric cleared his throat. "I'll get the paper this morning Felipe."

Felipe and Pam watched Eric tentatively open the front door and peer outside before cautiously wandering over to where the day's paper lay on the dewy grass of the front yard. After picking up the paper, Eric turned and smiled triumphantly at his Mom and Felipe. Felipe turned to Pam and whispered out of the side of his mouth.

"I don't know what the hell this Sookie Stackhouse chick has done to him but I think we should ask her to move in!"

Pam nudged her husband and stifled her giggles as she watched her son bring the paper inside the house and settle down at the dining table to eat and read. Eric flipped through the paper to find what he was looking for on page 2.

_**Sci-Fi Starlet Comes Clean About Traumatic Experience**_

_Sookie Stackhouse, new cast member on 'Galaxy Pioneers', has released a video confession on her official website citing that the stories which blackened her acting career were all lies. The 22 year old broke down several times during the 1 hour clip as she spoke of losing her virginity as part of a date-rape ordeal, with John Quinn supplying the spiked drink to enable the experience to happen. Miss Stackhouse refrained from accusing Mr. Quinn of the crime itself, most likely due to lack of medical evidence that he had sexual relations with her. The lack of evidence is no accident, several east coast papers have interviewed the doctor who was called to her house the day after the incident and he has confirmed that he was sent away from the property by none other than Debbie Pelt (John Quinn's agent) and Barry Horowitz (Representative of ABS network who televised Rich Men's Families) as the parents of Miss Stackhouse and her former agent, Alcide Herveaux, argued that she should be examined by a professional._

_There are rumours of at least 3 other young women now coming forward with accusations of spiked drinks and unwanted sexual advances from John Quinn which they were previously bribed or blackmailed out of reporting – just like Sookie Stackhouse. Tomorrow, Amelia Broadway will be running a full page article on the mistreatment of young actresses in the Television and movie industry and the misogyny which prevents them receiving fair treatment._

_Miss Stackhouse, originally from Syracuse – now living in NYC, also spoke of the bogus press statement published on her ex-boyfriend, Bill Compton's website. In the statement Mr. Compton blamed Sookie's inclination towards group sex for their split and since the news that those proclivities were all a lie, things have been decidedly quiet in the official Compton Camp but his fans are quick to label Sookie's video release as a sham to gain sympathy in the aftermath of her relationship ending on such a public note._

Eric's brow furrowed as he read the last few lines, the thought that Bill's fan girl's would follow him so far down the moral abyss that they would accuse his ex-girlfriend of lying about being date-raped was unfathomable. He finished his cheerio's and coffee and went down to his room to see what kind of activity had blown up on Sookie's site.

~v~

Sookie's meeting with Rasul had been interrupted by several phone calls, Arlene had called Sookie to tell her about the 15 newspaper, magazine and website interviews that had been requested, the network reps had called Rasul to alert him to Bill's unrepresented status and Bill had called Sookie twice – both times being diverted to voicemail. Rasul bemoaned the fact that a 10 minute meeting was now taking 45 minutes due to the number of distractions but managed to convey to Sookie about how sorry he was that her last big gig had screwed her over – his words exactly. Rasul sent Sookie away to costume and dialled Bill's cell phone.

"Bill, where are you? You were due on set 30 minutes ago."

"I'm having some problems Rasul; I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Don't bother, I know your agency dropped you, you've got your work cut out for you. All of your scenes are currently being rewritten anyway so ..."

"What do you mean rewritten?"

"Don't fucking interrupt me again or you'll be written out altogether! Bottom line is, you're a douche and John Luke Kirkton is a good guy – douche's playing good guys never works, so Capitano is getting his asshole costume on."

"Where do you get off calling me a douche?"

"Hmm ... let's see, well, you got caught fucking another woman by your girlfriend and tried to make her look bad in the press to cover up your guilt, not only that but you lied about still being with your girlfriend so you could fuck the other woman – Bill a nice guy doesn't do that, a douche bag, however, does. I know _everything _that goes on around here; you can't keep secrets from me."

Bill sighed and ended the call; this was not how it was supposed to go and it was all Sookie Stackhouse's fault, if she'd have just kept her damn mouth shut like every other piece of arm candy, he wouldn't be in this mess. Now her bitch of an agent was still demanding a public apology, Lorena was ignoring him and only his most ardent fans were on his side, it galled Bill that she kept quiet for so long after Quinn but refused to even give him an inch.

~v~

Clancy put the finishing touches on the statement for Fantasia, as per the 'request' his bosses made of him. As soon as Bill admitted that he knew the Stories about Sookie in Cali had been a lie, the words 'libel' and 'lawsuit' flashed across his mind and he was damned if he was letting Bill Compton take him, and the agency he worked for, down with him. The statement was emailed to the network, the network's reps, the manager of the Galaxy Pioneers website and, finally, to Arlene Fowler. Clancy knew she was bad ass, he had a lot of respect for her, not to mention a healthy dose of lust for the redhead, he also knew that the legal team for Shining Star would be gearing up for libel action if the apology didn't come soon. It's always a good idea to make sure your ass is covered before the shit starts flying.

~v~

Sookie collapsed into the driver seat of her car after a busy day and groaned as her phone rang – again. She looked at the caller ID and huffed out a breath, it was Arlene, for a second she'd thought it was Bill calling again. She'd listened to his voicemails while having a quick cup of coffee between costume changes, they'd ranged from angry to pleading to hateful and none of them really expressed what he wanted from her – it was as if he had no-one else to vent his frustrations at despite all of his problems being of his own making. She had been completely boggled at how he could make his trying to blackmail her, cheating on her and then releasing a statement that he knew was a pack of lies, her fault. He'd seemed so ... sane when they began dating. She picked up her cell and prepared her ear for a ten minute assault consisting of Arlene's voice.

"Hi Arlene."

"Sookie you are _not_ going to believe this!"

"A lot of stuff has happened to me that I didn't believe could sweetie."

"Yeah, I guess it has, anyway! You remember how it was set up to go public with the Lorena pics if Bill didn't retract his statement and apologise publically?"

"Yeah?"

"Well his agent, Clancy, just released another statement completely burying him in shit. So rather than bring Lorena into things the legal team suggested threatening a libel suit!"

"And that's good news because?"

"It's good news because after what Clancy put in print, it's a slam dunk honey! If he _doesn't_ take the deal of a public apology, he'll be paying you damages for the next 20 years."

Sookie absorbed this information slowly, yes – she was angry at how Bill had treated her since she joined the cast and she was disgusted at the break up they had but she didn't think it was worth a civil suit. Bill wasn't an idiot; surely he would climb down off his high horse and release a retraction and apology?

Sookie managed to crawl through the crowd of reporters at the gate again, through the rolled up windows of the car the flash of bulbs and shouting of questions was extremely distracting, she'd had an emotional and tiring few days and all she wanted to do was curl up with a mug of hot chocolate in her fuzzy penguin jammies. All hope of that happening disappeared when she turned onto her street and saw more press outside the building she lived in.

"Shit!" She took a right turn before her block and pulled in, hitting Arlene's speed dial as she put the hand brake on.

"Sookie, sweetie! What's up?"

"I had to wade through reporters to get out of the studio today and now there are around 8 or 9 of them outside my apartment building. Can I stay with you?"

"Honey, if you want to avoid reporters the last place to do that is with me! I've been fielding calls and turning down the opportunity to comment wherever I've went today. Can't you call your parents? Your brother maybe?"

"Yeah, yeah, good idea. I'll call them, thanks Arlene."

She called her parent's house, no answer, then she tried her Mom's cell.

"Sookie baby! How are you holding up?"

"I'd be okay if I got a little peace; can I stop by your place and chill for a day or so?"

"Sorry but your Dad and I are in a hotel right now, he fell through the kitchen floor two nights ago! Wet rot, can you believe that? Anyhoo, the insurance company is paying for our mini-vacay and they've got the repairmen in, we should be back there in about 4 days time."

"Oh ... I was kinda hoping to get out of the city, like, now. I'll call Jason; see if he can put up with me for a while."

"He's in Vegas honey, I told him to call you but ... he's met some girl, Crystal Norris, they swear its true love and now they've run off to get married."

"Seriously? Why wouldn't he tell me that?"

"Because he knows you'd try and talk him out of it, me and your Dad ... well we just let him get on with making his mistakes but you always try to stop him from making them!"

"Okay, he's got a point." Sookie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "So, none of you are at home for the next few days?"

"Sorry honey, bad timing I guess. Don't you have a friend you can stay with?"

"I'll find ... I'll sort something out, don't worry about me."

The actress rested her head against the steering wheel and racked her brain for somewhere she could go. Her family had been ruled out, the only person she considered a friend was having the same problem as her and there was no way she'd be able to check into a hotel or motel without the press being tipped off by the staff. Sookie's distinct lack of people she trusted had served her fairly well but she was paying for keeping everyone at arm's length now, was there anyone out there who could ... yes! All of a sudden she realised that she _had _met someone she trusted and she knew that that person would help her escape from the public eye – he'd been doing it himself for long enough!

~v~

Eric looked at the ringing phone on his desk, frowning at the interruption to his task. He was almost done approving or deleting the backlog of comments on Sookie's site and after he'd finished that he'd have to make sure everyone was behaving themselves on the forum, he needed help – that was a certainty. He picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID, surprised that Sookie had the time to call him, from the email he got from Arlene early in the afternoon; he'd thought she'd be far too busy to speak to him.

"Hello?"

"Hi Eric?"

"Yup, are you okay Sookie? You sound out of sorts."

"Uh ... I am, there's a problem ... for me, not for you but I was hoping you might be able to help me."

"You need my help? What can I do?"

"I need somewhere to stay for a few days."

"What?"

"The press are everywhere, at work, at my home, at Arlene's office ... they're following us around everywhere and now I'm hiding round the corner from my apartment so they don't see me! I've already asked my parents and my brother but they can't put me up ... I don't have anywhere else to go Eric."

"I ... uh ... can I call you back?"

"I'm sorry Eric, I know this is all ... well it's much more excitement than you're used to but I don't want to stay in a motel in case the reporters get tipped off by one of the staff and I _know_ you wouldn't do anything like that. I just really need to get away from them right now."

"I'll call you back as soon as I'm able."

Eric ended the call and started his deep breathing exercises before going upstairs to let his Mom and Felipe know about the new development. Felipe was in his study marking essays and Pam was in the kitchen straining the water from the pasta, Eric went to Felipe's door first and asked him to come into the kitchen, Felipe took off his glasses and tried to read Eric's facial expression. It was a mixture of scared and excited, which probably meant it has something to do with Sookie Stackhouse. When Felipe entered the kitchen, Eric was leaning on the table and drumming is fingers against the surface.

"Baby boy what's wrong?"

"I just got a call from Sookie, she ... uh ... the reporters and photographers are everywhere she goes in the city and she asked if she could come and stay here for a few days."

Pam dropped the pot she was holding in the sink. "Well if they're everywhere she goes won't they follow her here?"

"Unless someone tips them off about where she is, they won't know where she's disappeared to."

"What about her job? Isn't she supposed to be ... y'know ... _acting_?"

"Well I never asked about that but I'm sure she wouldn't just skip out on her pay check." Eric raised his head to look his Mom in the eye. "I'm sure she just needs somewhere to ... absorb everything, I want to help her."

Pam nodded and looked at Felipe; the teacher kissed his wife on the forehead and walked towards the door. "We still have that air mattress in the bottom of the wardrobe don't we?"

Eric smiled and let out a breath of relief, for a moment he thought his Mom was going to tell him a big fat 'no'. He went downstairs to call Sookie back and make sure that she could remember where to go.

~v~

Sookie cursed as she wished she'd splashed out on SatNav for her Audi TT Roadster but she'd bought it for a song, second hand from the guy two floors down from her when he was made redundant. Hindsight being 20/20, maybe it would have been better if she'd stayed awake when Arlene drove her up here a couple of days ago but all she could do now was suck it up and call Eric back to get directions to his house. She slowed down so she could see the street names and pulled into the parking lot of a Sunoco, the phone only rang once before the call was answered.

"Sookie? Are you okay?"

"I'm lost Eric, well, not _lost_ as such. I know I'm in Elmira but I can't remember where to turn to find your street."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the Sunoco on Pennsylvania Avenue, I came up Kinyon Street off the Parkway and now I don't know where to go."

"Oh it's not that far, I could walk it in ten minutes if ... y'know ..." She heard Eric speaking to someone in the background. "Okay, just stay where you are. My Step-Dad is going to drive down and lead you back to our house."

"Thank you so much Eric!"

Sookie opened the packet of Milk Duds she had in her glove compartment and whiled away the time until Eric's Step-Dad appeared.

Sandy snapped at her gum and nudged her boss, Cameron, nodding to the solitary car in their lot. The roof was up but the view through the windows was pretty clear.

"Is that the chick who's all over the papers today Cam?"

Cameron looked up from the float he was counting and stared in the same direction as Sandy. "I'll be damned! What the hell is Sookie Stackhouse doing in Elmira?"

Sandy shrugged. "I dunno but she's been sitting there for a few minutes now, she made a call to someone. Looks like she's waiting for something, or someone."

Cameron finished with the till and walked around the counter to get a closer look through the window. "You think she knows someone in this shithole?"

"Well she's not here for the fucking nightlife is she? That girl's used to clubs and wine bars not bowling alleys and dive bars."

Sandy walked around to stand next to Cam and they watched as another car pulled in and stopped next to Sookie's. The cashier's eyes widened as she watched one of her former teachers hug the actress and then drive off with the Audi following.

"Did I just see that? How the fuck can Mr. De Castro get a piece of ass like Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Sandy – tell me the security cameras are working tonight."

"Yeah, Benny checked them yesterday and made sure the feed was ... being ... recorded."

They looked at each other and scrambled, Cam running to the back room where the security footage was recorded and Sandy to the Computer in the manager's office to look up the phone number for OK! Magazine. Both of them wondered how much they'd get paid for this little nugget of gossip.

~v~

Pam felt dizzy watching Eric pace back and forth across the living room floor; she sipped at her coffee and flicked through the channels on the TV. She usually skipped the ET! Channel but stopped when she saw footage of Sookie on the screen.

"_Despite being out and about today, Sookie Stackhouse has yet to make any comments about the revealing video that was posted on her website. Her agent has stated that she __**will**__ give interviews about her declarations but only when she has come to terms with the entire country knowing what she went through._

_The Galaxy Pioneer's star is said to be staying with a friend until a date and time for an exclusive interview has been scheduled. You can be sure that when the actress decides to speak about this topic – Entertainment Tonight! Will be there to get the scoop!"_

"How do they get this information so quickly?"

Eric shrugged. "Phones, internet, email, it's great that technology has made it easier to share information but it would be better if all the information was worth sharing."

Just then they heard the rumbling of engines in the driveway, Eric went to the window and peered through the blinds. "She's here!"

Pam stood and smoothed her outfit, then patted her hair, it wasn't every day you met someone who was in all of the newspapers and magazines! She waited in the hall with Eric, noticing how her son was nervously picking at his clothes, when the door opened and she heard her husband laughing she relaxed. Felipe was an excellent judge of character and if he'd disliked her – even for a moment – his silence would give it away.

Sookie stepped through the door, spotting Eric immediately and smiling at him then noticing the blonde woman by his side – this _had_ to be his Mom. They had the same blonde hair, although the woman's was a little paler, and both had blue eyes. Sookie went to the woman and outstretched her hand in greeting.

"Hi, I'm Sookie! It's a pleasure to meet you ..."

Pam grasped the offered appendage and squeezed lightly. "It's good to eventually meet you too. I'm Pamela Northman-De Castro but you can just call me Pam!"

"Okay. Thank you for welcoming me into your home Pam and, of course, you too Felipe!"

Sookie turned to the teacher and he nodded to her, Eric took a small step forward towards the actress. "DoyouhaveanybagsSookie?"

"Just the one!" She held up a back pack. "It's just some sweats I keep in the trunk, I got stranded in a coffee soaked skirt suit once and promised myself I'd never be that unprepared again!"

"Oh we've all been there!" Pam laughed. "I'm sorry, we don't have a guest room but we've got an air mattress with clean sheets in the study."

"If it's clean and not surrounded by paparazzi it'll be heaven!" Her expression turned serious and she looked into Eric's eyes. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't let me stay here. I just need a day or so to get my bearings after ... everything, I knew the video would create waves but I didn't think I'd have reporters and photographers trying to peep in my bedroom window!"

Felipe looked confused. "Don't you have family? Friends?"

"Oh yes, but my parents house is undergoing some major work and they're in a hotel right now and my brother has decided to elope ... almost like I was meant to stay here huh?"

Eric smiled and wondered if maybe, after all of the crap he'd been through, fate was finally throwing him a bone. Pam took Sookie's bag and led her through to the study, showed her where the nearest bathroom was and where everything in the kitchen was kept. While his Mom was familiarising the actress with her safe house, Eric went down to his room to send a text to Arlene, letting her know that Sookie had arrived safely.

He was just approving the latest messages of support and deleting the callous comments of Bill fans when he heard footsteps on the stairs behind him. He heard Sookie's voice asking if it was okay for her to come down and worked quickly to get rid of the nasty abuse some people had written in the comments form.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Uh ... nothing!" Eric spun around and placed himself in front of the screen before she could see a particularly venomous entry.

Sookie quirked an eyebrow and smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you watching porn?" She hissed.

"What? No! Of Course not!

"Then what's so secret?" She craned her body to the left to try and see what was on the screen, recognising the colours and pattern of the border on the site Eric had designed for her. "Are you working on the site? Cool! Can I see what you're doing to it or will there be a big unveiling?"

Sookie looked excited and Eric struggled to find the right words to explain what he was really doing. "Um ... not really, just approving comments and ... uh ..."

"Ooh! Can I see?"

"NO! I mean ... I'm not done yet and." Eric sighed. "There are some ... less complimentary comments that I was in the middle of deleting. They're just trolls and flamers but I didn't want you to see because it might upset you."

Sookie stepped back and regarded him for a moment before speaking. "Thank you Eric, I ... you're right. Even though I _know_ they'd be trolls, I'd probably still be affected by what they say. Is it okay if I watch some TV down here while you finish up? I like your Mom and Step-Dad but I don't think I'm comfortable around them enough to snuggle on the sofa."

"Yeah sure, make yourself comfortable."

Eric turned back to the screen and continued to delete the numerous contributions that called Sookie a lying whore while listening to the TV cycle through the stations. Hearing the familiar strains of a 'My Name Is Earl' re-run, he smiled; it seemed Sookie had the same taste in comedy as he did. Finishing as quickly as he could, he spun his chair around just after the first ad break was done; Sookie was lying on her stomach on the bed with her feet at the head board.

_Sookie Stackhouse is on my bed. __**The**__ Sookie Stackhouse is on __**my**__ bed._

Eric cleared his throat and Sookie turned to him, smiling. "Hey are you done? It's the episode where Earl and Randy have to go through the trials for Catalina's hand in marriage!"

"Oh! Have they done the bit with the rakes yet?" Eric got up from his chair and perched on the edge of his bed, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"No, not yet." Sookie looked at Eric before shuffling further over on the bed and patting the space next to her. "Sorry, I'm really bad for hogging all the space when I'm watching TV, I like to spread out!"

Eric swallowed audibly and moved further onto the mattress, extremely aware that Sookie was the only woman, apart from his Mom, who had ever been on his bed. They continued to watch the re-run laughing at the same things, during the episode Eric felt his eyes continually drawn to the actress and when she noticed him looking at her she would smile sweetly. A couple of times she had asked if he was okay, he said he was fine but Sookie knew he wasn't as comfortable as he could be, despite the reasons for their lives colliding and the way they finally met, she didn't feel like he was too close or that he knew too much about her. He cared that people said bad things about her and wanted to protect her, he'd seen her cry lord knows how many times, he knew how some of the men in her life had thrown her away when they were done with her but he wasn't disgusted with her.

While Sookie was evaluating her reasons for being so open and relaxed around her web designer, Eric was marvelling at how accepting the actress was of his situation. He was aware that the fact he still lived with his Mom and Step-Dad would usually make him a figure of fun, even if he didn't have problems leaving the house and panicked like a 12 year old at a school disco when he thought about being with a girl. If Sookie was an average woman she would have run for the hills when she found him under his bed the other day, but she didn't, she mirrored Eric's position on the floor next to him to make him more comfortable and she had no idea how much that meant to Eric.

Sookie glanced at Eric again and noticed his posture wasn't as stiff and that he'd shuffled further onto the bed, his knee was almost brushing against her hip and she remembered the way he had stroked her foot from beneath the bed the last time she was here. When the credit's rolled for the programme, she rolled over and placed her hand on his knee lightly.

"Hey, it's still early. Do you have any movies we can watch?" Eric was staring at her hand, so she lifted it and put it on the bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ..."

"No, its okay, I'm just ... yeah I've got loads of movies. What are you in the mood for?" he got up and lifted the lid on a wooden box. "There's no romance but mostly every other kind of movie you can think of."

Sookie got off the bed and kneeled on the floor next to him as he lifted a tray of DVD's from the box to reveal another layer underneath. She gasped and grabbed at one of the cases.

"Omigod! I can't believe someone actually bought this! I thought 'Hunters' would languish in the bargain bins for all eternity!"

"Well ... umm. So! See anything you want to watch?"

Eric nervously ran his hands through his hair and begged whoever was up there not to let her ask why or how long he'd had that DVD. Sookie regarded his actions and wondered why he was so cagey all of a sudden; she picked out 'The Fifth Element' and smiled widely at him.

"You can't beat Luc Besson for taking your mind off your troubles!"

"Or Milla Jovovitch." Eric said absentmindedly before looking at Sookie with wide eyes. "Uh ..."

Sookie sniggered and handed him the case. "Well I happen to have a thing for Gary Oldman so you're off the hook!"

They smiled at each other again and Eric placed the disc in the player before scooting up the bed to sit up against the headboard, as the menu came up he put down the remote and stood.

"Hey do you want some snacks? A drink maybe?"

"Ooh! Do you any mountain dew? The Code Red kind, not the green?"

"Are you kidding? It's my favourite!"

Eric grinned as he made his way up to the kitchen, Pam and Felipe saw him as he walked past the doorway of the living room and looked at each other.

"Honey, do you think they need a chaperone?"

"Pammy, he's 24 not 14. Frankly, the fact he's having that reaction to spending time with a woman should make you happy not protective."

Pam nodded, despite hoping all these years that her Son would someday have a normal life, it was still hard for her to let go when he'd depended on her for so long.


	5. Opening Doors

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

_Sookie ran her hands down Eric's naked chest, fascinated by the definition of his muscles. Leaning forward she planted a trail of gentle kisses down his neck and Pecs before sucking one of his nipples between her soft, pink lips. He hissed out her name and pulled her back up, crashing his mouth against hers, both of them moaning hungrily as their hands explored every inch of naked flesh that was uncovered. Sookie gasped as Eric's long, thick fingers found their way into her panties and dipped between her folds, sliding effortlessly inside her before moving to rub her clit gently._

"_Eric I'm so wet for you, I need you."_

_She rubbed his length through his boxer shorts, the small gasp of surprise she let out when she felt how well endowed he was made Eric smirk and redouble his efforts in pleasuring her._

**Knock, knock, knock.**

_Turning around, Sookie straddled Eric's shoulders before lowering her mouth towards his hard_

**Knock, knock.**

"What? Who's there?" Sookie removed her hand from between her legs and grabbed the shampoo, frustrated at the interruption to her fantasy.

"Hi Sookie, its Pam. I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed."

"Uh ... yeah, I've got everything I need right here."

"Okay then, breakfast is almost ready."

"I'll be done soon."

Pam walked away from the bathroom door and immediately went to the basement, running downstairs and finding a red-faced Eric sitting up in bed with a pillow in his lap.

"Mom! Come on! You know it's polite to knock, I could have been walking around naked!"

Pam opened and closed her mouth a few times, realising in her haste to make sure her Son wasn't upstairs in the bathroom with their guest; she walked in on him masturbating. Mortified, she ran back up to the kitchen, passing the door that she'd heard Sookie calling out her Son's name from only moments ago. Felipe noted his wife's pale appearance as she entered the room and frantically started cracking eggs into a bowl.

"Are you okay Mi Belleza?"

"I'm fine, fine, nothing wrong with me, no sir!"

"Suuuure, come now Pammy! Tell me what's got you so spooked."

"I went to see if Sookie had everything she needed and I heard her ... well she was moaning Eric's name, so I went to the basement because ... Eric isn't ready for that and I was worried he was in there with her."

Felipe put his mug of coffee on the table and stared at Pam. "Was he?"

"No! I ... interrupted him. They were both ... y'know."

Felipe started laughing. "Querido, I can assure you that _they_ will be more upset about this than you and just to add – if Eric feels like he's ready for something - then he's ready. You know he won't let anyone push him, just let it happen Pammy, he's an adult."

Pam nodded and Felipe went out to get the paper, as he opened the front door he heard car doors slamming closed and looked up to see a woman with small device in her hand and a man with a camera running towards him. His eyes almost popped out of his head and he slammed the door closed, bracing his back against it as if the people were going to start breaking it down.

"PAAAAAAAM!"

Pam ran out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a ratty tea-towel. "What? What's wrong Felipe?"

"I can't get to the paper. I opened the door and some woman and a guy with a camera ran towards me!"

Pam's pale face whitened further before she turned towards the study where their guest was staying. "SOOKIEEEEEE!"

The actress opened the door to the study and walked out barefoot with a brush in her hand. "Uh ... hi, do you need me for something?"

"Sookie, we think there are reporters outside!"

"WHAT? Shit, fuck, how? Wait!" She ran back into the study and came out with her cell phone at her ear. "Arlene, they found me, I don't know how but they're here at Eric's house."

Pam and Felipe kept their attention on Sookie as she held the phone away from her ear and grimaced. At that moment, Eric came up from the basement and frowned at the scene before him.

"What's all the shouting about?"

Pam went over and put an arm around him, guiding him towards the kitchen. "Oh it's just a thing, you know, there _might_ be a reporter outside, I'm sure it's nothing!"

Eric turned to Sookie and watched as she hung up on her call and banged her head against the nearest wall. "Arlene is gonna call me back as soon as she can, until then stay inside, stay away from the windows and try not to think about how they knew I was staying here and got the address."

She sighed and plopped down at the kitchen table, closely followed by Eric and Felipe as Pam finished making breakfast and dished out toast, eggs and bacon for everyone. Once they'd finished eating, everyone sat in silence waiting for Arlene's call, after 10 minutes Felipe stood up.

"I can't wait around all day; some of us have jobs to do. I'll just need to try and fob them off, does 'no comment' work or is that just in the movies?"

"It just makes you look like you're hiding something and it doesn't stop them from asking more questions." Sookie sighed and picked up her phone, willing it to ring.

Eric cleared his throat. "What about the truth? Isn't that why they're here? Because Sookie told the truth, we simply tell them that I'm her web designer, we became friends and now she's staying here to get some peace."

Sookie smiled and grabbed Eric's hand, nodding her agreement. "Even if we don't have Arlene's say so, the truth is always the best way to go!"

Felipe came back a few minutes later with his jacket over one arm and his briefcase in his hand. He attempted to loosen the muscles in the back of his neck before opening the door, jangling his car keys in his hand he pulled the handle and looked outside. The same two people jumped up from where they were sitting on the bonnet of a brand new Neon and walked towards him as he made his way over to his own Camry.

"Are you Felipe De Castro?"

He turned to them as he opened the driver's door and found the device the woman was holding was a Dictaphone. "I am; may I ask who you are?"

"Sophie-Ann LeClerq, for OK! Magazine. Can you confirm that you met with Sookie Stackhouse last night? The two of you were seen in an embrace in the parking lot of a convenience store near here. Are you in a romantic relationship with her? Are you having an affair with her? Does your wife know about the fact you know her?"

Felipe ground his teeth and glared at the intrusive woman in front of him as the photographer clicked away with his camera. Putting on his most authorative voice, he went into teacher mode. "One, Yes I met with her as she was lost. Two, I am not and have never been in a romantic relationship with Sookie Stackhouse. Three, I am certainly _not_ having an affair with her and four, my wife is currently sitting drinking coffee with Miss Stackhouse and my son. If you'll excuse me, I have a proper job where I don't hound members of the public about their private life."

Felipe got in his car and drove off as fast as he could before stopping and pulling out his cell to call Pam at home. In the kitchen of the Northman-De Castro house, Pam, Eric and Sookie were debating over the merits of answering the knocking at the door when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Pam almost whispered down the line.

"Pammy, they think I'm having an affair with Sookie!"

"What? Why on earth would they think that?" Pam put her hand over the mouthpiece and relayed what Felipe had told her.

"Someone must have seen me hug Sookie when we met last night and called them, I told them that I wasn't involved with her romantically at all but you know how these people can be."

Just then Sookie's phone chirped, Pam said goodbye to Felipe and went back to the kitchen table where Sookie had her cell on speaker.

"Hi Arlene, there's been a ... development."

"And what might that be sugar?"

"The reporter who's here asked Felipe if he was having an affair with me when he left to go to work."

"Well where the fuck did they get an idea like that?" Pam chimed in and told Arlene about the witness to the hug of greeting in the parking lot of Sunoco the night before. "Shit. If the slightest hint of this gets out, it'll blow up to massive proportions and we'll all be in the crap. I'm bringing in the Shifter."

Eric, Pam and Sookie looked at each with confused expressions. "The Shifter?" They asked in unison.

"Sam Merlotte, they call him the Shifter because he can shift public opinion about anything. Hang tight, I'm guessing he'll want to come and see you face to face."

"But I have to leave for work in 20 minutes." Pam was gearing up to go into flap mode. "I can't call in and say 'well I have reporters camped out on my lawn', I've got responsibilities!"

"Mom, calm down. Arlene what's the best plan of action?"

"If you _do_ need to go out and they're still there, stick to one word answers, preferably yes or no."

They all nodded and agreed to follow her instructions until Sam, or the Shifter, got in touch with them. Pam busied herself getting ready for work, primping a little more than usual in case she got her photo taken for a newspaper or magazine, when she finally deemed herself ready, she kissed Eric goodbye and gave Sookie a hug before walking out of the door. Eric and Sookie looked at each other as they heard the door close.

"Well, at least _I_ don't have to worry about going out there and talking to them." Eric grinned.

"Why?"

"Uh ... _agoraphobic_?"

Sookie snorted and slapped her hand on the table before she fell off the seat laughing.

~v~

Sam Merlotte twirled the scrap of paper with the phone number on it between his fingers; it was about time they called him to deal with this girl. He _should_ have been called in by Alcide back in Cali when the shit with Quinn went down but that ass Barry Horowitz wouldn't give them an inch. When Arlene told him where Sookie was and what the newest rumour for the press consisted of, he cancelled his appointments so he could have the whole day to focus.

It wouldn't be a tough job, a lot of the work had already been done by posting her video on her website, a majority of public opinion was already in favour of her but a rumour about her having an affair with a married man ... that would _not_ be good and it had to be nipped in the bud, quickly. He dialled Sookie's number and spoke to her and some guy, her web designer apparently, they seemed a little closer than your usual business relationship would be but Sam figured that if they had a usual business relationship, she wouldn't be hiding out at his house.

Sookie spent the day with Eric in his basement, watching him do a little work on his computer, Eric helped her write a personal message to her fans thanking them for their support and letting them know she'd be back on set soon. He continued to prevent her from seeing any disparaging comments and instructed her to watch some TV while he was dealing with them, Sookie was shocked when she flipped to the national news and heard what was going on.

"_In California, law enforcement officers are staging a manhunt for hot shot actor John Quinn. The star of soap opera 'Rich Men's Families' and long running UFC parody 'The Pits' is wanted for questioning in the sexual assaults of 5 different women ranging from the ages of 15 to 23. It hasn't been established yet as to whether Mr. Quinn is to be arrested in conjunction with the offences but several investigations have been opened, or in some cases re-opened since a former co-star released a video statement accusing Quinn of spiking her drink when she was 17 years old._

_The actress, Sookie Stackhouse, who was a minor at the time, woke after the evening of the spiking incident to find she had been raped and photographed with two mystery naked men. Representatives of both Mr. Quinn and the network she was employed by at the time have admitted to downplaying John Quinn's role in the crime and making Miss. Stackhouse's involvement seem worse than it was to protect Quinn's career but have yet to make any comments with regard to the negative impact these actions had on Miss Stackhouse's career."_

She stood up and walked back and forth a couple of times rubbing her upper arms with her hands before sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?" Eric knelt in front of Sookie with concern etched on his features.

"I'll be fine, it just took me a long time to realise what they did was wrong. Occasionally my brain flips to 'victim' mode. A hug and some hot chocolate and I'll be back to normal!"

Eric grabbed the remote and changed it to some music channel. "I think there's some cocoa upstairs and I'm sure there's plenty of milk ..."

"Oh, its okay, you don't have to do that."

"No I want to, I ... uh ... I feel better when I'm around you ."

Eric rushed out his words and went upstairs, leaving Sookie smiling softly at what he'd said. In Sookie's view, Eric didn't have to really do much to make her feel better, she should have been concerned with what was going on in the big world outside but spending time with Eric seemed to just make all the stuff she stressed about float away. She stretched out on the bed and picked up a pillow, hugging it to her chest and breathing in Eric's scent.

In the kitchen, Eric stirred the hot chocolate and debated putting marshmallows on top. Some people didn't like marshmallows, what if Sookie was one of those people? Deciding to take the bag of marshmallows with him, just in case, he poured some cold milk into the drink so it wouldn't scald her and she could drink it right away. Smiling at the thought that he was making an attempt to take care of someone else for a change, he made his way back down to the basement. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he saw Sookie lying on his bed hugging his pillow, just like he did last night, pretending it was her.

Sookie leapt from the bed with a grin. "Ooh! Marshmallows! Yum!"

She sat bouncing on the edge of the mattress as Eric walked towards her and made a grab for the mug as Eric moved to put the marshmallows on the bed, causing the hot drink to spill over the arm of her shirt. When she cursed Eric jumped backwards and more hot chocolate sloshed out over the sleeve of his shirt this time.

"I'm so sorry!"

"God! I'm a klutz!"

They spoke at the same time making each other laugh, Eric turned to put the, now half full, mug on the nightstand as hot chocolate dripped on the rug at the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry Eric that was my fault; I shouldn't have tried to take the mug when you weren't looking."

"No, I should have put it on the nightstand in the first place. I'll just go get something to clean up a little."

Sookie nodded and held her arm out to stop the wetness running up her elbow and wondered if Pam had had the chance to wash and dry her clothes from yesterday like she said she would. Eric came back from the bathroom with a cloth and bent down to dab at the rug before surveying the damage to his own clothes.

"Your Mom said she was going to wash and dry my clothes from yesterday, do you think they'll be ready?"

"I don't think so; usually she puts the wash on before she leaves for work then puts everything in the dryer when she pops home for lunch. Do you want me to check?"

"Please, I don't have anything else to wear."

Eric went to the garage and opened the washing machine, noting the wet clothes. He pulled them out and loaded them into the dryer; he wondered if Sookie would want to borrow one of his Mom's shirts while she waited. He _really_ didn't want to go into his Mom and Felipe's room and raid her dresser, Eric had the distinct feeling that he might very well come across something he'd rather not know existed. Rather than risk the stress of finding Pam's rabbit, he decided that offering the actress one of his shirts was a safer option.

In the basement, Sookie couldn't stand the wet fabric clinging to her skin any longer and started peeking in Eric's wardrobe to see if there was a shirt she could wear. The wardrobe only had jeans hanging up, which, at first, she thought was odd but then remembering that he never left the house it made sense. She moved to the dresser and opened each drawer a little bit to see what was inside rather than just ransack the piece of furniture. The bottom drawer looked like underwear and socks, the next one, however, looked like it was full of books, intrigued but not wanting to intrude on Eric's privacy she closed the drawer only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat. When she turned around Eric looked worried.

"I'm sorry Eric! I was just looking for a shirt, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, its okay, I know it looks ... odd, keeping books in a drawer rather than on the bookcase but ... well they're not the reading kind of book. Here let me find you a shirt."

Sookie was confused; the only kind of book she ever heard of was a reading kind ... well except picture books, she had a wave of embarrassment when she thought that maybe those books _were_ picture books. Eric wouldn't be the first man to hide 'special' picture books and he certainly wouldn't be the last ... but they looked more like notebooks. As Eric handed her a plaid button down she realised that they must be journals or diaries, it made sense to her now, a diary wasn't a reading book, it was somewhere you kept your secrets, reading someone else's diary was strictly against Sookie's moral code.

"You write a lot?" She asked Eric as she pulled off her chocolaty long sleeved t-shirt. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. If you're hiding your notebooks, you probably don't want to talk about them huh?"

Eric was speechless as Sookie dropped her shirt on the floor and stood in front of him in her bra and yoga pants. Her mouth was moving but for some reason his brain wasn't absorbing what she was saying, instead Eric's mind was multi-tasking between avoiding looking at the swell of her breasts almost spilling out of the cups and willing away an erection. He felt the shirt being plucked from his hand and saw Sookie waving her hand in front of his face.

"I didn't open the drawer all the way, I'm really sorry Eric. Please don't be angry at me."

"What?" Eric frowned. "I'm ... I'm not angry at you. So you know where I keep my journals, big deal. I trust you not to read them."

"Oh ... it's just you seemed a little ... off."

Eric cleared his throat and walked over to his computer desk to sit down. "Well I don't get a lot of women stripping off in my bedroom, it kind of distracted me."

Sookie skin flushed as she buttoned the shirt, she was so used to getting changed with other people milling around she didn't even consider how it would make Eric feel. At his desk, Eric was memorising what he'd seen for later that night, when his Mom had interrupted him earlier he'd known Sookie was in the shower, just thinking of her being in the same house as him naked made him hard.

"Old habits, when I'm on set or getting ready to go on stage, there are always a bunch of people doing the same thing. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Eric nodded and looked at the stain covering his own shirt; he was used to having the room to himself and being able to strip off whenever necessary. He wondered if it would make him look like an idiot if he went into the bathroom to change his shirt, after all Sookie didn't mind him seeing her so she probably wouldn't bother about seeing him either. Steeling himself, Eric pulled at the shirt until it was over his head and lying on top of Sookie's discarded clothing, then went back to the dresser for a replacement.

Sookie gasped when she saw Eric with his top off. She knew he was handsome and that he was well built but her imagination this morning had been seriously lacking; there wasn't a part of him that wasn't toned. Some guys have exercise equipment for show but it was deliciously obvious that Eric actually used his, her eyes followed him as he took a shirt out and turned his back to her to put it on. The muscles in his back rippled as he pulled the material over his head and shoulders, when he spun around to face her, Sookie knew she'd actually groaned out loud rather than in her head.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"God no! I'm peachy!" Sookie giggled but then stopped as she saw Eric's demeanour change dramatically. "I think I just got caught up in looking at you, you never get told how handsome you are, do you?"

Eric blushed and went back to sitting at his desk, for a moment he thought that Sookie was laughing at him rather than her reaction to looking at him. "My Mom tells me that all the time."

"She's right, I've seen a lot of hot guys but you're something else." Sookie tentatively made her way over to the desk. "Eric, you're a very hot guy and you're a very nice guy. I like you a lot."

Eric's heartbeat thundered in his ears and his hands gripped the arms of his chair as he watched Sookie get closer and closer to him. By the time she was in front of him his breathing was coming out in short gasps and he could feel his stomach flip flop and the sweat prickle on his brow. Sookie could see Eric panicking and wondered if she was about to do the right thing.

"I want to kiss you Eric, can I kiss you?"

Eric's head moved slowly up and down, every cell in his body was torn between staying for that kiss and running the hell out of there. His knuckles were white from holding onto the chair and he licked his lips nervously, Sookie placed one of her hands on his to try to calm him down before cupping his cheek with the other and leaning in, tilting her head to the side, brushing her lips against his softly, pressing a little harder and moving her hand to weave into his hair, darting her tongue across his bottom lip, feeling Eric press his free hand to the back of her head and deepen the kiss.

They were interrupted by someone not only knocking at the door but ringing the doorbell at the same time. Sookie pulled away and stamped her foot as Eric yelled.

"GODDAMMIT!"

~v~

Sophie-Ann sat up in the seat of the car and slapped Chow on the chest with the back of her hand.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Chow grabbed his camera and got a couple of shots of the man walking to the front door of the house they'd been scoping. "Is that ... Sam Merlotte? Oh! This is good; something stinks in suburbia if they're calling in the Shifter!"

Sophie-Ann slapped him again and he shot her a dirty look as he tried to pop off as many shots as possible. "See? And you said that we should split after the teacher and his wife didn't give us any dirt!"

They watched as he almost beat down the door and pressed the bell at the same time, then paced back and forth until the door was opened by a tall, handsome man with long blond hair. Sophie-Ann gasped and Chow grinned widely.

"Holy hotness Batman! Tell me you got some shots of the fucking Adonis that answered the door?"

"You fucking bet I did."

Eric led Sam into the kitchen and offered him a drink before sitting down to hear what 'The Shifter' had to say. Both Sookie and Eric were assessing the man's features, he had a kind face but Sookie was sure that face could turn real mean when cause surfaced, Eric saw that the man was short and wiry but was sure that he could be physically imposing if the need arose. Sam looked around and sniffed before looking at Eric.

"On second thoughts, that coffee smells good. I'll take a cup now if you don't mind."

"Sure, right away sir."

"Don't 'sir' me boy, you can call me Mr. Merlotte until you prove you aren't a pussy then you can call me Sam."

Eric stopped pouring the coffee, his nervous mood changing to anger. "I'm _not_ a pussy! I have a mental illness so fuck you!"

"What? Really? Oh ... sorry man, I didn't know. I was just tryin' to light a fire under you guys so we'd have something to work with."

Sookie frowned. "Light a fire under us? What exactly would that accomplish Mr. Merlotte?"

Sam shook his head and smiled at the young actress. "Sookie, where the press have been concerned you've been painfully passive and what has it done for you? Nothing, that's what, so new game plan is we go in head first, hiding and denying does nothing but breed rumours. Now, outside sits the Queen of OK! Magazine dirt digging and her minion photographer, the longer you hide in here, the more ideas they can dream up of what the hell you're getting up to with the nut job over here."

Eric slammed the mug of coffee in front of Sam and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Are you still trying to light a fire or are you trying to make me kick your ass?"

As abruptly as Eric's action had occurred, he let go of Sam and dashed out of the room. Sookie heard the door to the basement open and close and glared at the visitor. "Are you happy now? Look what you've done!"

"What the fuck is _his_ problem?"

Sookie sighed and stood up from the table. "He ... I don't know if he'd want you to know."

"Sookie, seriously, if he _does_ have problems, I _need_ to know. I can't send you out there to talk to the press not knowing all the facts – look what happened with Bill and his ex-representatives."

Sookie nodded and excused herself, making her way down to the basement and calling softly for Eric as she went. Peering around the room, she noted that he was nowhere to be seen then she noticed the missing pillow from his bed. The actress walked over and lay down on the same spot that she had the last time he had been under the bed, Eric's sad expression tugging on her heart strings.

"Hey you, whatcha doing?"

"I didn't mean to grab him, I've ... I never stood up to any of them and now I've ruined everything."

Sookie scooted across the floor so she was half under the bed with him. "You haven't ruined anything, he was being an asshole and he deserved to be put in his place. How dare he come into _your_ home and speak to you like that. No baby, you did the right thing, stop beating yourself up about it."

Eric smiled but tried to hide it behind his pillow. "You called me baby."

The blush that spread across Sookie's cheeks entranced Eric to the point that he didn't notice her moving closer until their noses were practically touching. Sookie reached out and stroked the side of his face with two fingers and Eric closed his eyes, just enjoying the contact.

"Eric, Sam wants to know everything. We should tell him all about you, I'm sorry I brought you into this whole mess. If I hadn't run away you'd be fine, Felipe wouldn't have people accusing him of having an affair with me and you'd be able to just live your life."

"I'm not. I mean ... I'm not sorry. Sure it's ... complicated and stressful but I'm dealing." He looked around him. "Mostly."

"Well I think you've been amazing. Do you think you're okay to go back up and talk to him?"

"Yeah I'm okay but can we just ... stay here, like this, just for one more minute?"

Sookie smiled and nodded, shuffling closer still, until their bodies were flush against each other and tugged on the pillow so Eric would let go. Tossing the comfort behind her, she placed a hand gently on Eric's side and brought her mouth closer to his. Eric inhaled sharply and closed his eyes before pressing his lips against hers, his body sagging with relief as Sookie kissed him back with fervour, her hand moving to his back to trace the outline of the muscles there, he could feel her breasts pressed against him and desperately tried to stop the affects the kiss was having on his nether regions. Realising that the longer the kiss went on for the harder things got, literally, he drew back and pushed Sookie away to prevent his arousal poking her in the stomach. Sookie, too, was having problems, stopping herself from grinding against Eric's erection was frustrating and when he pushed her away she wasn't sure whether to thank him or curse him. Just as she had underestimated his physique in her fantasies, her imagination had sold Eric short in the trouser department also.

"God, Sookie, I ... I'm sorry."

"What for?" Sookie frowned, not knowing what on earth Eric would need to apologise for. She saw him look down at his crotch and his face redden with shame. "You never have to be sorry for that Eric; it's a ... uh ... _big_ compliment." Eric was almost purple with embarrassment when he scooted backwards from under the bed. Sookie was quick to follow, running to him and catching his arm, begging him to wait. "I was trying to reassure you, I guess I need to work on that but, honestly, if you didn't have any reaction to me, it would make me wonder if you liked me."

Eric calmed after hearing Sookie's logic and agreed to go back upstairs and speak with Sam, no matter how much he wanted to stay under the bed and spend time with Sookie. Sam had finished his coffee by the time they got back upstairs and glared at them as they entered the kitchen.

"Would one of you _care_ to tell me what's going on?"

Sookie looked at Eric and sat down at the table next to the spin doctor, smiling and nodding encouragingly. Eric went to the sink and drew a glass of water before joining them at the table.

"_Sam_, the reason we're reluctant to ... face the press is I don't want to draw any attention to myself."

"Well, shit Eric! No-one wants that kind of attention but ..."

"I'm agoraphobic and I suffer from panic attacks."

"Oh ... uh ... yeah, that _would_ make this a little ... stressful. Okay now I understand your reaction earlier and I'm sorry for being out of line but I don't like to mince my words. Here's what we need to do." Sam looked at Sookie and pointed at her. "_You_ need to come clean about why you're here and more specifically who you're here to see."

"I'm here because I didn't have anywhere else to go, none of my family was at home and I don't have any friends except Arlene and she was being hounded by the press too ..."

"Uh-huh, okay the fact that he looks like a male model and has that 'needs a little care' angle had nothing to do with your decision?"

"Well ... okay, I was attracted to Eric, even if we'd only met once ..."

"And when was that?"

"Two days ago."

"Good, good, that was after the whole Bill thing so there's no chance of you being accused of cheating on him. It's not _long_ after the whole Bill thing but a young woman running to another man for comfort is pretty common."

"She didn't run to me for comfort." Eric leaned forward crossed his arms on top of the table. "She came here two days ago so I could help make the video for the website."

Sam shrugged. "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, you were there for her when she needed someone after Bill and once again you're there for her when she needs to escape the big bad reporters in the city. Hell Eric, you might not ever leave your house but women across America will want their own Eric for themselves."

~v~

Sophie-Ann was woken by someone rapping on the window of the car; she opened her eyes and wiped the drool from the side of her mouth before kicking Chow who was engrossed in his Nintendo DS. She rolled down the window to face none other than Sam Merlotte and he was smiling.

"Hey there Sophie-Ann! Whatcha doin' out here?"

"Cut the crap Merlotte, what's the skinny on Stackhouse?"

Sam stood up and cleared his throat. "This is going to be official so you might wanna record it." He winked as Sophie-Ann scrambled for her Dictaphone. "Sookie Stackhouse is in Elmira visiting a close friend and his family in an effort to escape the constant questioning of the press in New York. As you are aware, Sookie bared her soul on her official website and is still feeling somewhat emotional after it. She requests that her and her friend's privacy be respected and she'll be back on set tomorrow."

"Can we have the friend's name? You might as well; we got pictures of him answering the door to you."

"Her friend is Eric Northman; he is the designer and maintainer of her official website."

"How close are they? Was she having an affair with him while she was dating Bill?"

"They're two young people enjoying one another's company. Sookie only had minimal email contact with Eric prior to her discovering Bill's infidelity; she only actually met him when she came to him for help in making the video for her site."

"Well thank you Mr. Merlotte, I think we've got enough."

"Off the record please, Soph." Sophie-Ann turned off the Dictaphone and Sam double checked to make sure. "Eric is a nice guy, he likes being left alone and he likes knowing that people aren't peering in his windows. Don't push and you'll get an exclusive when or if they go public."

Sophie-Ann nodded and watched the Shifter walk back to his car, turning to Chow she weighed up the options. They could print everything, Eric's name and picture but then a swarm would descend and her story would be buried under the dirt that everyone else would dig up. The better plan would be to withhold his name and leave out the photos, when the lovebirds were ready to sing she'd be the one to hand them the microphone.

"Chow, delete all of the photos you have of this Eric guy, I'm ordering the whale rather than the salmon. C'mon, let's go back to the source and rag them about not giving us anything worthwhile."

Chow nodded and started up the car for the short drive to the convenience store; on the way there Sophie-Ann called finance and set up two $500 payments to accounts yet to be confirmed. No doubt the Sunoco monkeys would be pissed as hell for not getting the big bucks, but what did they expect when they called in the press for something that wasn't even true? Chow threw the car into park and Sophie-Ann got out, marching into the store like she owned it and slapping a hand on the counter in front of the irritated clerk.

"I need to speak to Cam and Sandy."

The clerk nodded and rang a bell under the counter. "Well, I'm Sandy; Cam should be here in a minute. Are you from that magazine we called?"

"I am." Sophie-Ann extended her hand regally as if expecting the clerk to kiss it. "Sophie-Ann LeClerq, OK! Magazine."

Cam strolled up from the back room, annoyed that his game of Tetris had been disturbed when he was close to beating his high score. "What's up Sandy?"

"Cam, this is Sophie-Ann LeClerq from OK! Magazine." When Sophie-Ann turned to grasp Cam's hand, Sandy flicked the end of her nose with the tip of her finger behind the woman's back to let Cam know she was snobby.

"Nice to meet you Sophie-Ann. So!" Cam rubbed his hands together. "How much to we get for that little nugget?"

"That _little nugget_ turned out to be a complete wash; she's not fucking the teacher. We found out a few things from the trip so you'll get $500 each, I just need your bank details so we can wire it to you."

Sandy leapt over the counter. "But we saw them! They were hugging!"

"And?" Sophie-Ann sneered at her. "Since when does a hug equal sordid sex stories? They're friends, end of, nothing sordid, nothing sexy, nothing worth dragging my pretty ass to this shit hole to find out about."

Sophie-Ann knew that last part was an outright lie but she was damned if she was giving these two any ammo to call another magazine or paper with. Cam ushered Sandy back behind the counter and they gave their account details to the snooty reporter, $500 was better than nothing but Sandy knew there had to be more to it. She wondered how on earth a teacher from Elmira with a dull wife and hermit-like step-son would get to be friends with an actress who lived in New York City. A flash of inspiration struck her and she stopped the reporter before she walked out of the store.

"Was Eric there?"

Sophie-Ann halted mid-step and whirled around to face the clerk. "Eric? You _know_ him?"

Sandy smirked and shrugged. "Sure, I went to school with him. I hadn't seen him for years, thought he'd upped and left town but he was here maybe two or three weeks ago. He's grown into one hot piece of ass, considering how weedy he was in school."

"And he went to ..."

"Southside high, same school his Step-Dad teaches in. That's how his Mom met Mr. De Castro, he always had to call her to come and pick him up, Eric was sick a lot."

"Did he have any friends? Close friends? When did you graduate?"

Sandy snorted. "Unless you count Victor Madden, he was the only person who ever got close to Northman and even that was just to push him around or give him a wedgie. We graduated class of '04."

"I see ... well thanks for that Sandy, don't spend all your $500 in one store!"

Sophie-Ann walked out of the store and grinned as she got back into the car. "Chow, when we get back to the office I want you to find me a copy of the yearbook for Southside High, Elmira for the year 2004. While you're doing that I'll be looking for Victor Madden."


	6. Climbing the Wall

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

Pam walked in her Garage at 12.45pm, later than usual but she'd stayed back a little to finish inputting the overtime so she could have the afternoon off to deal with their visitor, she was surprised to find that the dryer had already been loaded up and was running. Knowing that Sookie only had two outfits, she assumed that Eric had been more of a host than she expected and was taking good care of their unexpected guest. Despite Pam's misgivings about her fragile Son being around such a worldly woman, she could see that Sookie was good for him. Her heart fluttered at the prospect of Eric finally getting to know someone, someone who wasn't related to him, someone who was the opposite sex, she knew that Eric had a 'thing' for Sookie, she just hoped that Sookie returned his feelings and didn't just use him as a means to an end but she didn't seem like that kind of girl – goodness knows she'd been used enough in her own short lifespan. As she entered the kitchen she found Eric and Sookie at the table with mugs of coffee, leaning in towards each other and speaking quietly.

"Well, hello you two, have there been any problems? I didn't see that reporter's car outside."

"No Pam, that spin doctor, Sam Merlotte came over and ran us through how we should react to them. He spoke to them and threw them off the scent for a while in exchange for an exclusive interview when I ... we're ... ready."

She glanced at where Sookie's hand was squeezing Eric's and her hand flew to her mouth. "You're ... together?"

Eric blushed and pulled his hand away, much to Sookie's disappointment. "Well, we ... uh ... like each other a lot but ..."

"What Eric is trying to say is ..." Sookie took his hand again and looked into his eyes. "We trust each other, we don't have any intention of hurting each other and we're going to see where all of this takes us but when Eric feels he's ready, I'd be proud to call him my boyfriend."

"I see, well as long as you're taking your time and not rushing into anything. Both of you have a lot of things to sort through, mostly you baby boy."

"I know, I ... I'm going to see Al. At his office downtown, Sookie is going to come with me."

"Today?" Eric nodded and Pam smiled proudly. "That's great! Will Sookie be sitting in on the session?"

"Oh no! I couldn't do that Pam, Eric's time with Mr. Cataliades is private, if I was there he might not feel he could speak freely. I'll find something to do, I'm sure there's a coffee shop or somewhere like that I could hang out in for an hour or so."

"Well I have your solution to that one, I took the afternoon off in case you needed me for anything so we can go to the mall and get to know each other a little better."

Sookie smiled warmly, getting to know Pam seemed like a great idea to her but Eric blanched, knowing how protective his Mom was of him. He just hoped that Sookie came back rather than running for cover. They ate a light lunch and Eric fished Sookie's clothes from the drier so she could change out of her sweats before leaving the house. Deciding to take Pam's car as it had more space for passengers, Sookie and Eric sat in the back holding hands and smiling at each other. If it wasn't such an amazing sight for Pam she might feel a little sick at the sweetness of it all. They found Aloysius' office and Sookie went inside with Eric while Pam waited in the parking lot, several minutes later Sookie came back out smiling from ear to ear and got in the passenger seat next to Pam.

"That went well; he didn't panic once, even when the receptionist was a little snippy!"

"Really?" Pam shook her head in disbelief. "Well, let's go shopping Sookie. Eric needs some new clothes if he's going to be getting out and about more often."

"You know I never even thought about how he gets his clothes." Sookie cocked her head to look at Pam. "I guess there are a lot of things I don't know about Eric."

Pam nodded and her mouth turned down at the corners a little. "The one, very important, thing you need to know is that he's never had a girlfriend. He ... didn't spend a lot of time in high school, he was sick a lot and never even graduated, so socially ..."

"I know he was bullied." Pam turned to Sookie open mouthed. "He told me about it the last time I was here. I get that he's ... cut off and probably a little backwards but I'm okay with that, at this point the thought of hiding from everyone is pretty attractive."

"It's not a _voluntary_ thing for Eric; he didn't _choose_ to hide away. Yes, he was bullied but that wasn't what made him the way he is, not entirely. He wasn't sick because he was bullied; he was bullied because he was sick."

"But he seems so strong and healthy." Sookie remembered the definition of the muscles on his chest and back and couldn't imagine him being poorly at all.

"_Now _he is; I'm sure he'll tell you everything himself ... given time, right now I'm more interested in knowing about you."

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Have you had sex with Eric?"

"No!" Sookie sputtered. "I don't see how that question pertains to you knowing more about _me_ but you should know your son well enough that he's not the type to just jump into that kind of ... _thing _after he's only met someone twice."

"Good, now we _both _know what kind of person he is, you've been good for him Sookie – don't fuck it up by pushing him further than he's _ready_ to go, let him lead." Sookie nodded, biting her tongue to prevent her from making a snippy comeback. "What do your parents think of all this ... business?"

"They were shocked when I went public without telling them what I was doing but they're proud I'm not hiding what happened anymore, we don't see each other so often anymore; they didn't like Bill and Bill didn't like going to Corning to visit with me, he always had to 'network' when we had time off and preferred me to be with him, he said I made him look good."

"So he cut you off from your family?" Sookie thought for a moment then nodded sadly. "Okay, do you have any friends?"

"I have Arlene, she's my agent, I used to spend time with the girls I worked with in the restaurant I waitressed in but Bill said they were a bad influence; that hanging around with them wouldn't help me be an actress."

"And being dependant on him would? Sheesh, he sounds like a top guy."

They pulled into the parking lot of the Arnot Mall, checking the time to see how long they had to wander around the shops; they talked a little more about Sookie and what she got up to between Rich Men's Families and Galaxy Pioneers but eventually Sookie got bored talking about herself.

"So how did you meet Felipe?"

"He was Eric's teacher, Eric was constantly being sent home due to some illness or another, one day he came to the house because he suspected me of neglect."

"No! You're like, the best Mom in the world, how could he think that?"

Pam shrugged. "Eric always had something wrong with him, we were poor because I had so many doctors' bills but he thought Eric was sick because we were poor and I couldn't look after him. In a way, after I got over the offense it caused me of course, I'm glad that Felipe was looking out for him. One night he came over to check on Eric when he had a bad virus and I broke down, he comforted me, we ended up in bed together. The rest, as they say, is history."

"What happened to Eric's real Dad?"

"I don't usually talk about it, sure Eric and Felipe have an idea of what went on due to snippets here and there but they don't know the whole story."

"Oh okay, I'm sorry for prying."

"Don't be, I actually feel like you're the best person to talk to about it, after everything you've been through. I grew up in Watkins Glen, in high school I was one of the smartest in the class as well as one of the prettiest girls, I dated a few guys but never went any further than letting them feel me up over my clothes, until I met Steve Newlin when I was 16. He got me drunk and against my better judgement, we went all the way, the next week at school everyone knew, including his ex-girlfriend Sarah, Steve didn't want to have anything to do with me after that but word soon got round that I was _that_ girl. The girl who did the things their uptight girlfriends wouldn't, even though I didn't, Steve got back together with Sarah and eventually I started dating Ricky."

Pam stopped walking and sat on a bench, taking a tissue out of her bag before continuing. "Ricky was sweet, said he didn't care what lies other people told, he knew I wasn't like that. Like normal teenagers, our relationship went to the next level and I ended up pregnant the month before we were due to graduate. He ... said he wasn't the father; that I'd been screwing around just like everyone thought, my parents were devastated, they gave me the passbook to my college fund and told me never to come back."

"He used your reputation against you." Sookie nodded. "Did you go back? After Eric was born?"

Pam shook her head. "They've never met him. Until Felipe came into our lives all we had was each other. As far as Eric knows, they're dead." She shrugged. "Dear ol' Dad's last words to me were that I was dead to him, so it's his own damn fault he never got to see his grandson."

~v~

Eric's session with Aloysius had been interesting for the counsellor, the fact his patient was here in his office was a major event, add that to the fact the last few days had been immensely stressful; Mr. Cataliades was very impressed with Eric's handling of it all.

"So, how do you feel about talking to the press about yourself? Getting involved with an actress is bound to get you noticed."

"I know, I haven't really thought about it to be honest, I've just been enjoying spending time with her."

"In a romantic sense or just as friends?"

"Both, we trust each other and we've kissed ... twice."

Al was thinking it was about time Eric saw some action but kept his opinions to himself. "And how do you feel about that?"

"Excited, worried, thankful but mostly ... terrified."

"Terrified? This would be because ..."

"Uh ... _hello_? 24 year old virgin ring any bells? Geez, I just had my first kiss this morning and she's ... experienced and I'm really, really not."

"So read up on it, watch educational videos and get tips from the internet. Chances are if you do enough research you'll have a better understanding than most guys when they lose their virginity. As long as she gets off, it's a resounding success."

Eric nodded, knowing that the heat emanating from his cheeks was more than likely accompanied by an alarming shade of red. He'd spoken to Al about his lack of sex life briefly in other sessions but the fact that there was now a possibility that he would _have_ a sex life made it uncomfortable for him to talk about. He wanted to say that he'd seen plenty of videos but he doubt that they'd be described as educational. He wanted to say that he'd read plenty about sex but he doubted that smutty fan fiction about Galaxy Pioneers counted, even if it was written by women.

"Apart from the sexual side of the relationship, are there any other misgivings about your being with Sookie?"

"Not really." Eric shrugged. "I get that she'll have people taking her photograph and that if I'm with her I'll have my photograph taken too but ... I just feel that as long as she's with me then I can handle it."

"What about when you go out on your own? Once you're associated with someone famous, you don't need to be with that famous person to have the press want to talk to you."

"I hadn't thought about that but I'm making a belated New Year's resolution, cross that bridge when I come to it. No point worrying about what _might_ happen."

"Let me know how that goes for you Eric." Aloysius chuckled. "You've made big steps these last few days, I'm proud of you and I can bet that your Mom and Felipe will be too. Will you be coming here for your session in two days time?"

"Uh ... Sookie goes back to the set tomorrow, I don't drive and I don't think I'm _quite_ ready to be taking the bus anywhere."

"Gotcha, I'll come to your house at the usual time then. Have you been doing your exercises?"

"Yeah, yesterday I called information and asked for the number of my old high school. The day before I called the main number at my Mom's workplace and asked to speak to her."

"No incidents?"

"Not about those calls no." Eric laughed.

"Excellent. I'll go over some new things I want you to try at our next session."

Eric nodded and Al saw him to the door, pleased that Sookie and Pam were already in the waiting area for him.

~v~

Bill Compton slumped in his chair with his phone in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. Both of his ears were red and painful from him talking to everyone listed as an entertainment agent in the entire northeast. Out of all his calls only two agencies seemed interested in representing him, three of them had outright said they wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole and one had told him that they didn't represent douche bags under any circumstances. After a long 'chat' with Rasul, Bill was informed that his character, Captain Kirkton, would spiral into a dark moral abyss leading to the demise of the hero over this season and would return next season as one of the villains of the show. Bill didn't care, bad guys were more interesting anyway and he still had a job, he was still regular cast and he would still be famous. Bill groaned as the doorbell rang, trudging through the empty bottles on the living room floor and down the hall to find a courier at the other side of the entrance.

"Bill ... Compton?"

"Yes that's me."

"Letter for you, sign here please." The courier stepped back to try and avoid the brewery-like smell coming from Bill.

Bill signed the screen with the annoyingly small plastic stylus and took the letter inside to open it, waving the courier away like a servant. He almost ripped the letter apart in anger when he read the subject heading.

_For The Attention of: Mr William Thomas Compton._

_Re: Sookie Stackhouse libel action._

_Dear Mr. Compton_

_In response to your recent telephone conversation with Ms. Arlene Fowler, we demand that you publicly retract your statements regarding Miss Stackhouse's sexual preferences with an apology within two days of receipt of this letter. If a retraction and apology is not apparent in this time frame, we will be contacting you again to begin proceedings in a civil libel case. You are not required to reply to this letter but you must make us aware of the publication/media that your retraction and apology has been published in._

_Sincerely_

_Johan Glassport_

_Glassport, Fisher & Muntz, Attorneys at Law._

Deciding to get it over and done with, Bill called a cab and went to the studio. Sure enough, there were a few reporters and paparazzi hanging around for a glimpse of someone newsworthy. The reporters turned as they saw the cab approaching and watched as Bill half stepped/half fell out of the rear of the vehicle.

"Any of you guys interested in a statement?"

Bill slurred his words a little and swayed on his feet. None of the reporters were going to pass this up. They crowded around him, snapping pictures and making sure their equipment was recording every breath.

"I, Bill Compton, am sorry to Sookie Stackhouse for accusing her of liking to fuck more than one guy at once. It's obvious in the time that I spent with her, that she'd never be into anything remotely interesting like that. I just said it because she caught me cheating on her, can you believe the bitch took pictures of me screwing Lorena against the wall?"

"There are pictures? But in your statement you said that you hadn't been unfaithful."

"And your point is? I did what I had to, to cover my ass. Don't act like you don't know it goes on, everybody lies in this business."

"Do you have anything to say about Sookie's video statement?"

"Hell, I've got plenty to say about that, the truth does _not_ set you free. If she'd kept her mouth shut about a lot of things people's lives would be simpler. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got places to be."

Bill stumbled back into the cab and got the driver to take him back to his apartment while the reporters stood looking at each other, wondering if what had just happened _really _happened.

~v~

Pam laughed as she cleared away the dinner dishes; it was a breath of fresh air having someone else at the dinner table with fresh stories and jokes. Not to say that she didn't enjoy Felipe and Eric's company, it was just nicer to have different things to talk about. Sookie sat back in her chair and rubbed her stomach, it had been a while since she had a decent meal cooked for her outside of going to a restaurant, Bill tried to have skills in the kitchen but could never _really_ cook well.

"Pam that was amazing, I'm so glad I wore pants with an elastic waist!"

Felipe leaned back and playfully smacked Pam on the bottom. "Yeah, I had a 28" waist before coming to live here!"

Pam smacked him with a towel and Eric chuckled at their banter. Felipe crossed his arms and watched Sookie and Eric glancing at each other, before Eric even met Sookie you could see his eyes light up when he talked about her and seeing Sookie look at Eric the same way ... it gave him such hope. Hope that Eric would finally start to _live_. The teacher made an executive decision in an effort to maybe give the two a push.

"Pam, do you want to go to the movies tonight? We haven't seen 'Avatar' yet; it's supposed to be really good."

"That sounds great Felipe! Let me get changed and then we'll get going."

Felipe nodded and winked at Eric as Pam left the room, Eric blushed and said he hoped they had a good time before excusing himself to go to his room and check the messages on Sookie's site again.

"What was _that_ all about?" Sookie asked no-one in particular before looking at Felipe, who was looking _anywhere_ but at her. She shook her head and smiled. "You're a crafty one Felipe, have a great time, I'll go check on Eric."

Sookie could hear him tapping away at his keyboard from the top of the stairs, making sure she walked heavily so he would hear her before she spoke.

"Are there a lot of new comments? Are they good or bad?"

Eric turned to smile at her. "Actually they're all good; you might want to read this though."

Sookie went to the screen and sat down in the chair that Eric vacated for her, holding her hand over her mouth as she read Bill's 'statement'. The one saving grace was that whoever wrote the update for the gossip site made it known that Bill was drunk off his ass while talking to them. She thought that it was a cop out on Bill's part but at least she got the apology and retraction that Arlene had been gunning for. Once she'd finished reading the article, she got up and went over to Eric's trunk of DVD's.

"So, do you wanna watch a movie or find something on TV? It's my last night here for now, what with filming and everything, I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it back for a visit."

"Well." Eric sat on the bed and picked at the hem of his shirt. "I was thinking ... and if this is lame then we'll do something else but I'd actually like to ... talk to you. Y'know, get to know each other. We know the big stuff already but it's the small stuff that counts right?"

"Eric that's a great idea! Can I ask first?" Sookie jumped on the bed and lay down on her stomach as Eric turned to face her. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Red, what's yours?"

"Pale blue, umm ... what's your favourite band or singer?"

"Wow, I like lots of different types of music so I don't think I could choose just one. Do you have a favourite?"

"Okay you've got a point, I don't think I could choose just one either."

They continued their quizzing of each other as the evening turned to night and they were lying on the bed facing each other, Eric didn't even notice when he held Sookie's hand and started stroking his thumb over the backs of her fingers. Sookie felt more relaxed than she had ever felt; there was no pressure on her with Eric and it made her even happier that he was relaxed around her.

"Who was your first crush?"

"Crush? Uh ... like someone I wanted to be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I know you didn't get to do all the usual high school stuff but there must have been a girl who caught your eye."

"Sandy Sechrest, all the guys in school had a thing for her. She works in the Sunoco Felipe met you in now."

"No-one famous? My first crush was Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, I was 8."

Eric cleared his throat. "Uh ... 8? Wow, you ... uh ... started early huh?"

"Well it was just a childish crush, I thought we would kiss then get married and have babies. I guess guys don't really notice girls until they can imagine having sex with them or touching their boobs." As she laughed she noticed Eric drawing away from her and a blush staining his cheeks once again, she frowned a little. "Hey what's wrong?"

"You have to promise not to ... laugh or maybe run away screaming." Sookie nodded and Eric closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You ... you were my first crush in a famous person kind of way."

Sookie opened her mouth but couldn't find anything to say, she had been under the assumption that Eric had been a Galaxy Pioneers fan who took an interest in her due to the negative feedback she got for joining the cast. Would she have reacted differently to any of the last week's situations if she'd known he was a fan of _her_ rather than the show? No, she didn't think she would, she would _still_ have agreed to having him run her site and there was no doubt that she would _still_ have been attracted to him, somehow knowing that Eric had been keeping an eye on her through the years actually made her feel better about everything.

Eric was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable the longer it took Sookie to say something, as he was about to move away from her off the bed she grabbed his arm and kissed him, moulding her body into his until he relaxed and returned her passion. Sookie ran her hands though his hair, tugging lightly as Eric's hands stroked up and down the soft curves of her body, he let out a small moan as she sucked on his bottom lip and she felt him harden against her stomach. Her lips moved to his neck, sucking and nibbling from below his ear down to his collar bone.

"You can touch me Eric, just ... explore, go with what feels right."

Sookie felt his head move in a nod and moved her hand down to squeeze his bottom, noting how firm it was before sliding one of her legs between his and pushing her hips against Eric's. Eric grabbed her hip and hissed in pleasure as he felt her lick his neck, he brought his hand back up to raise her head and crushed his mouth to hers, hearing a growl emanate deep from his chest as their tongues wrestled for dominance. Slow and unsure, Eric brushed his fingers over Sookie's breast, feeling the hard bump of her nipple under her clothes and feeling her shudder at the brief contact.

"Are you okay?" He pulled back, concerned that he'd done something she didn't like.

"I'm fine, I want more."

She placed his hand firmly back on her breast and latched onto his neck again, pulling at his clothes and clawing at his back until he had rolled over and was almost on top of her. Leaning on one elbow, he stroked and squeezed at the fleshy globe in his hand, brushing his thumb over the firm peak in a circular motion before pinching lightly. Sookie gasped against his skin and pressed her hip into his crotch, rocking back and forward as Eric ground his teeth and tried to think of something, anything, to stop him from coming too soon but the noises Sookie was making meant his concentration was most definitely not up to his usual standards. He closed his eyes and remembered his counsellors words, as long she gets off it's a success, and Eric had had enough failure in his life so far, he wanted so much to keep her happy, keep her with him.

He gently pulled away and smiled nervously at Sookie as she watched him climb from the bed and kneel on the floor, pulling her legs either side of him as he went. When he started to tug at the waistband of her pants, she stopped him.

"You don't have to do that."

Eric was confused; didn't women like guys going down on them? They seemed to _really_ enjoy it from what he'd seen in movies and read online. "You don't like it? I mean I know I've never done it but I just thought I could try."

"I ... I don't _know _if I don't like it." She let his hands go and tilted her head to the side. "No-one's ever did ... that to me. You don't think it's nasty?"

Eric shrugged. "From what I've seen and read it's great for both parties, it looks hot and sounds hot and a lot of women judge a guy on his talents at it. No, I don't think it's nasty ... I just wanted to try and make it good for you."

Sookie's eyes shone and she licked her lips before leaning back on her elbows, this was something she'd _wanted_ to have done to her but Bill had said that guys hated doing it, that porn stars called themselves actor's because they had to _act_ like they were enjoying it. She lifted her hips and nodded to Eric.

"Well ... I _did_ tell you to explore."

Eric worried away at his bottom lip with his teeth as he gently pulled Sookie's pants and underwear down to her ankles before removing them along with her socks. He repeated the phrase 'you can do this' in his head like a mantra, stroking his hands up her legs over her knees before parting them. Sookie slid her bottom closer to the edge of the mattress at the same time, exposing her naked lower half to Eric sooner than he intended. Sucking in a deep breath, Eric ran his hands up the inside if Sookie's thighs, seeing the goosebumps appear on her skin; he kissed the inside of each knee and looked up at her face.

Sookie's eyes were dark with want as she nodded encouragement to Eric, he kept his eyes on hers as his lips followed the same path his hands had moments ago and pressed his lips to each side of the place she desperately wanted him to touch her. Eric licked his lips and ran a finger down her slit, raising an eyebrow as he found her slick with arousal. He didn't think he'd really done that much to turn her on but in the spirit of going with the flow he parted her folds and continued to familiarise himself with the wet, heat of her sex, gently pushing a finger inside her and watching closely for her reaction. Satisfied that what he was doing so far was right; or right for Sookie at least, he leaned in and found her clit with his tongue, pressing against the firm bundle of nerves and licking slowly. Sookie let out a surprised 'oh' at the new sensation and wriggled on the bed to try and gain more friction.

Spurred by Sookie's reaction to his efforts, Eric inserted another finger inside her and increased the pressure and pace of his tongue. The feel of her around his fingers was doing nothing to dispel the erection straining against his pants and he was surprised to find he was enjoying how she tasted, it wasn't _sweet_ like he seen it described, it was savoury but definitely not unpleasant. After revelling in the newness for only a few minutes, Sookie found herself hurtling towards something incredible, she had always _enjoyed_ sex with Bill and previously _thought_ she'd had orgasms but the tightness coiling in her abdomen and the fuzziness obscuring her vision were something she'd never experienced. As Eric listened to her breaths bursting from her chest, punctuated with high pitched 'uh' and 'ah' noises, he felt how much wetter she was getting and moaned against her, sucking her clit between his lips and nuzzling against her. Sookie squealed and clamped his head between her thighs, her body involuntarily folding itself in half as she called out to God and Eric felt the channel his fingers were inserted inside become much, much tighter.

Sookie trembled as the tension left her body and she flopped back on the bed, Eric removed his fingers and brought them up to his mouth to lick them clean. He glanced at Sookie, thinking she looked very exposed lying there, so he picked up her underwear and began putting it back on her. He'd managed to pull the lacy garment up to her knees before she looked at him to see what he was doing, raising herself from the mattress; she finished replacing her panties by herself and stared at Eric in wonder.

"I ... you ... that ... that hasn't ever happened to me before."

Eric frowned. "I know, you already said that no-one had ..."

"That's not what I meant. I think ... I think you just gave me my first _real_ orgasm. I've never felt anything like that Eric!"

He opened his mouth to tell her that, really, he had enjoyed himself almost as much as she had, he could feel his pants had a damp patch from his own fluids leaking out during the act, but before he could say anything Sookie was off the bed and lying on top of him, her hands in his hair and her mouth preventing anything other than moans from escaping his lips. One of her hands moved down to rub Eric's throbbing hard-on through his pants, causing his eyes to roll back in his head and a guttural groan from his throat. Eric's back arched off the floor as Sookie pushed her hand beneath the waistband of his clothing and gripped the rigid flesh in her hot hand, feeling every inch of him.

"Christ Eric! You're huge!"

As she looked at him, she realised that he was too distracted to react to her statement, Sookie regretted helping Eric to put her panties back on, she wanted to feel him inside her so much but she also wanted to repay the favour he had done her. Eric screwed his eyes closed and his fingers scrabbled at the floor beneath him as Sookie stroked up and down his length, he was so close to coming but the sensation of having someone _else_ touching him was something he didn't want to end, not yet. Sookie removed her hand and Eric let out a noise that was half frustration and half relief, she straddled his waist and shuffled backwards on her knees, pulling Eric's pants down as she went. Seeing all of 'little Eric' standing proud, Sookie ran her hands up Eric's thighs before leaning over and licking him from base to tip, Eric's back arched again and a string of profanities resonated around the room as Sookie sucked and licked, running her tongue around the head before taking as much of him into her mouth as she could.

"Sookie I'm gonna ... nnngh."

That was the only warning the actress received before Eric's hands tugged at her hair and her mouth was filled with his seed. Never having been in that situation until now, Sookie swallowed Eric's come, grimacing a little at the strange salty taste but not overly disgusted by it. Eric was shaking a little and staring at her with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Noting the first signs of Eric's panic, Sookie placed her hands on his chest and attempted to diffuse the situation.

"Oral sex is loads of fun; I vote that we do this a _lot_ more often."

Eric looked at her and laughed, they righted themselves and were just getting comfortable in each other's arms in front of the TV when they heard Pam and Felipe return from their evening out.

~v~

Arlene sighed as she left yet another message for Sookie to call her, she understood her client wanting to 'get away from it all' for a day or so but ignoring calls was just rude, especially when Arlene was the one calling. She knew that Sookie was due back on set at 10am this morning and hoped that the actress would be stable enough to pull her finger out and get there on time. She checked the time, 9.15, and decided to dial the studio and see if Sookie had went through security yet but before she could pick up the handset it rang and the caller ID flashed with Sookie's number.

"Well, well, well, look who finally thought it was a good idea to return the 8 missed calls she's received from her agent."

"Sorry Arlene, I'm just at my apartment right now getting changed then I'll be going to the studio. I didn't actually listen to any of the messages you left, I hope it wasn't anything really important."

"You mean _not important_ in the sense that I've had calls from every up and coming actor and a few well known actors for you to accompany them to events seeing as you're now single?"

"What? No ... I don't want that, I'm not ... well I'm not single anymore."

"What do you ... oh! Eric?"

"Yeah, he's so sweet and ... sexy and ... well he's just amazing."

"It was pretty obvious you two were into each other but, to be honest, I didn't think either of you would ever have the stones to do anything about it. Kudos, honey, he's a keeper, I'll let everyone know you're not interested."

"Thanks Arlene and I don't know if Sam told you but we kind of promised Sophie-Ann LeClerq, from 'OK!' magazine, the exclusive interview about us, when the time is right of course."

"He didn't tell me but _you_ have, so it's six and half a dozen. Get to set sweetie and call me later to tell me all the details of Mr. Hunky web designer."

Sookie promised Arlene she would call and the agent set about the task of informing all the guys who wanted to use Sookie's recent rise in public profile for their own gain; that they were out of luck.

Sookie repacked her emergency bag, this time putting two changes of clothes inside, and sent Eric a text to let him know she got back safely. Throwing the bag on the trunk, she got in her car, there were still a couple of photographers hanging around snapping away at her mundane tasks but she didn't really mind them so much. It was the ones with the questions, the rude comments to get her attention and the ones with a complete lack of respect for privacy that bothered her most. She was photographed again as she got to the studio but they seemed more interested in the car that was arriving just as she was waved through the gate. She parked her Audi and watched as the Mini Cooper that had been behind her parked a few spots away, Lorena got out of the Mini and walked towards her with her bright pink nose explaining why she was wearing huge sunglasses on an overcast day.

"Lorena, are you okay?"

"I can't believe he dropped me in the shit like that! Ever since he opened his big mouth yesterday, the press haven't left me alone. I've got several women's magazine's asking me what it's like to be 'the other woman'."

Sookie's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Lord! I'm so sorry Lorena!" She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her colleague. "We should do something together, to show them that Bill was in the wrong and there's no bad feelings between us, if the press see us together that 'other woman' crap won't fly."

Sookie felt Lorena nod against her shoulder and sniff a couple of times before they both headed into the studio for their days work.

~v~

Eric was busy over the next few days; the comments had tapered off on the site over the Bill thing before Sookie called him to make sure Lorena received a positive spin from her end too. Arlene had given him an official statement to publish about Sookie and Lorena's relationship and how there was no animosity between them, then the next day Lorena's reps had contacted him regarding a redesign of Ms. Ball's site. He agreed to the redesign but refused to be the maintainer – Sookie's site was work enough for him.

He spoke to Sookie every night at 10pm, no matter where she was she made time to call him or answer him if he called her. Speaking to her always left him with an empty space in his chest when he hung up on the call and it would still be another 3 days before she would have the time to come up to see him again. He had talked extensively about his feelings about Sookie with Al and his counsellor had concluded that there was the distinct possibility that he was in love with her and that whether he was or wasn't – the feelings he had right there and then were a _good_ thing.

Pam was at work, as was Felipe, and Eric found himself at a loose end between lunch and dinner, he thought about the progress he had made in the last week or so and figured it was time for him to experiment, on his own, without Sookie and without his Mom. He stood at the back door with a cup of coffee, surveying the garden that he hadn't spent time in since ... before he got chickenpox when he was 13. He stepped out, down the few steps and onto the patio, looking around him and noting that there was no-one else around. He shrugged and sat on one of the chairs from the small outdoor dining set they had, the day was cloudy but not particularly cold, Eric closed his eyes and let his mind wander, imagining what his reunion with Sookie would be like.

"Hey! What are you doing there?"

Eric's eyes snapped open and he looked at the man leaning over the fence. "I ... live here."

"I ain't ever seen you, and I've been in this house for 6 years. I'm gonna warn you once, get off the Northman De-Castro property or I'm calling the cops."

Eric stared open mouthed at the man, on one hand he was offended that this neighbour would call the police because he was sitting in his own yard, on the other he was fairly pleased that this neighbour was looking out for his Mom and Felipe's house while they were at work.

"You deaf? Are you gonna get your ass outta here or wait for Chemung's finest to haul you out?"

Clearing his throat he held his hands up and tried to control the quaver in his voice. "Look, I really do live here, I'm Eric Northman, Pam Northman-De Castro is my Mom and Felipe De Castro is my Step-Dad. You haven't seen me before because ... I don't get out much, if you want you can call my Mom at work and ask her?"

The neighbour stood back from the fence and regarded Eric through narrow eyes. "I'll call Pam if you don't mind, you just stay put while I talk to her."

Eric nodded and watched as the neighbour pulled out his cell and spoke quietly into it, realising there was nothing much he could do about the situation he stood and continued drinking his coffee. When the man was finished with his call he came back to the fence and held his hand out to Eric, putting his mug on the table, Eric walked slowly towards him and grasped the offered hand, shaking up and down a few times before letting go.

"So Eric huh? You _mustn't_ get out much if I've never seen you. The names Bud Dearbourne, sorry about ... y'know ... just that we neighbours have to watch out for one another."

"It's okay." Eric shrugged. "I guess I can understand your reaction, strange guy sitting in the yard drinking coffee."

"Yeah, well, you have a good day now. I'll be seeing you."

"Yes ... yes you will Mr. Dearbourne."

Grinning at the fact his first solo expedition had taken place without any panic attacks and only minor anxiety caused by his neighbour threatening to call the police, Eric went back inside to call Sookie and tell her what he had just done.


	7. Finding the Way

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

Sandy flipped through the magazine as she blew bubbles with her gum, she wasn't really reading, just looking at the pictures while she internally bemoaned only getting $500 for feeding information to that Sophie-Ann chick. Next time she'd call a different magazine, that is, if she ever saw anything that interesting again. Cam had come in earlier that morning to show off the banjo he'd bought with his payment from OK! Sandy had spent some of hers on a new outfit and kept the rest in the bank for a rainy day, her old friends from school were always trying to plan a 'sex & the city' trip to New York and she'd been saving faithfully, just waiting for a chance to go to New York and live it up like a girl her age should but something always got in the way.

The door opened and closed, Sandy ignored it, when they wanted something they'd come to her and she was in no mood for small talk. The latest pictures of Sookie Stackhouse hugging Lorena Ball caught her eye, flicking her eyes across the words it turned out it was just a 'sister solidarity' thing with both of them being screwed over by the same guy, Sandy wondered if it was bad that she thought that was boring compared to some celebrity gossip that was flying around. She saw the basket being placed on the counter next to her and put the magazine away to serve her customer. She looked up and smiled as she pulled the basket closer to her and her breath caught in her throat when she saw it was Eric Northman standing there.

"Eric! Wow, how are you?"

"I'm ... fine." He looked down and shuffled from foot to foot, hoping that would be the extent of their chatter.

"Well, you look great!" Sandy pulled out the steaks, wine and asparagus, waving the bottle of alcohol in her hand. "Looks like someone's making a fancy dinner, cooking for a girlfriend?"

"Uh ... yeah, you could say that. So how much does it all cost?"

"I haven't rung it up on the till yet, give me a chance!" She scanned the barcodes with the gun and continued to stare at Eric, oblivious to how uncomfortable he was. "So this girlfriend, is she from here?"

"No ... can we move this along please?" Eric shuffled and picked at the hem of his shirt, wishing Sandy would just shut up and tell how much he owed her. He glanced at her and noticed her staring at him. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Sandy snorted and shook her head as she dropped Eric's purchases into a paper bag. "Because you're nice to look at? Sheesh, you need to chill man, seriously. That'll be $38.74."

Eric fished the money out of his pocket and tossed two $20 bills on the counter, grabbing the bag and telling Sandy to keep the change as he rushed out of the door and back home.

~v~

Sookie knocked on the door of the Northman-De Castro house, smiling when she saw that Eric had answered the door himself, she stepped into his arms and hummed with happiness. Eric wrapped his arms around her and lifted her further into the house so he could close the door; as soon as the door was closed they were kissing as if it had been months since they'd seen each other, not days. Eric heard the timer go off in the kitchen and reluctantly pulled away.

"Sorry, dinner, come through and sit down, everything should be just about ready."

"You cooked?"

"Yeah, steak and veggies followed by my special chocolate cake."

"You _baked_?"

"Yeah, Mom loves my baking; I was hoping you would too."

Sookie nodded dumbly, her eyes flicking to the sinful looking cake on a plate on the counter before moving to watch Eric as he drained water from pots and arranged their meal onto the plates. When he placed Sookie's dinner in front of her, the smells made her mouth water and she grabbed her knife and fork to dig in, only stopping when she realised that Eric wasn't sitting at the table yet. Eric slid a large glass half full of red wine next to her and held up his own in a toast.

"Well, here's to ... um ... spending time together?"

"Hell yeah!"

She tried to take her time with dinner but everything tasted so good, Sookie knew she'd probably end up with indigestion from eating too fast but it was a risk she was willing to take – especially if it meant she could sink her teeth into a piece of that cake sooner. She was never like this; she always tried to eat as ladylike as possible, not shovelling her food down her throat and making her enjoyment known audibly with every bite but she just knew that Eric wouldn't be put off by her behaviour, for the first time she felt like she could let her guard down.

The chocolate cake was the most amazing sweet treat that Sookie had ever had in her mouth; Eric watched every reaction from her, smiling as it was made obvious that she enjoyed his culinary talents very much. It seemed the more he was around Sookie, the more he realised that there were things he was really good at. Al, Pam and Felipe had noticed the gradual increase in his confidence since he met Sookie and they had all made comments about how happy they were with the progress Eric was making into being a part of the larger world again. Sookie sat back in her chair, licking the chocolate frosting from her spoon and smiled contentedly.

"Mmmmm ... Eric that was _amazing_, I was going to offer to cook for you next time but I don't think I could beat that!"

"Actually, I was thinking that next time maybe we could go ... out for dinner."

Sookie sat up straight and put her spoon down. "Out? Do you think that you're ready for that?"

Eric shrugged. "I know that I went to the store on my own to buy what I needed for tonight and that while I was there, one of the girls who used to make fun of me spoke to me and I didn't run away and hide under my bed. I know that if you're there, I won't be concerned with anyone else around us."

Sookie nodded and smiled widely. "Okay, well let's do that! You'll never know unless you try right?"

Sookie helped Eric to clean up the dinner dishes, despite his protestations and insistence that she should sit and let him take care of it. They were heading to the basement when Pam and Felipe came home, both Sookie and Eric feeling a little put out that their alone time had been cut short.

"Hi guys!" Pam smiled brightly. "Did you have a good meal?"

"Oh it was amazing!" Sookie gushed and leaned into Eric's side. "It was the best first date I've ever had!"

Eric stepped away from her and furrowed his brow. "Does it count as a date if you don't go out?"

Felipe and Pam laughed as Sookie slapped him lightly on the chest. "Of course it does, silly, and it also means we're officially dating. You better start getting used to the idea of having a girlfriend Mister!"

"Seems like I'll also need to get used to having you boss me around!"

Sookie mock gasped and they both started laughing before saying their goodnights to Pam and Felipe and going down to the basement to watch a movie. Felipe turned his back on Pam and walked into the living room, slumping on the couch with his head in his hands; Pam immediately went to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Felipe, honey, what's wrong?"

Felipe sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "Nothing is wrong mi novia poco, I ... he's ... six months ago, if you had told me that my step-son would be cuddling and laughing and joking with his girlfriend, well, I would have called you crazy."

"I know darling." Felipe turned into Pam's embrace. "Every time I see him doing something that any normal guy his age would do, I feel like buying Sookie a big, big, present!"

"Eric finally has the chance of a normal life, I can practically taste it! It's a wonderful thing Amante."

"Yes it is, come on; I want to see if they left us any chocolate cake!"

Felipe laughed and followed Pam into the kitchen.

~v~

Sookie woke up the next day in the same clothes she'd travelled in with a crick in her neck from being squished against Eric all night. He was snoring softly, his head tipped back as the music from the DVD menu started playing again – probably for the thousandth time. Sookie couldn't remember when exactly she'd fell asleep but it was after Blade had been put in the vampire iron maiden and they started draining him. Nudging Eric in the ribs she looked around for a clock, finally climbing on top of him to see the display on his alarm. Eric made a contented sound and his hand moved to cup Sookie's bottom, squeezing gently as Sookie felt other parts of his anatomy wake up, she giggled and Eric opened his eyes, blinking as his mind sleepily tried to comprehend what was happening.

"Oh!" Eric removed his hand and sat up. "I'm sorry! I wondered why my dream was so real and here I am, manhandling you in my sleep!"

"It's okay really; it was kind of funny actually. Now, if you'd been awake and manhandling me in _my_ sleep I might see it a little differently." Sookie smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "I'm gonna run upstairs and get my bag so I can shower, I'm starved!"

"I'll get cleaned up and go help with breakfast then."

Eric watched Sookie walk away before he got up off the bed and went to the bathroom himself. Once he was showered with fresh clothes he felt better, falling asleep with Sookie in his arms had been unplanned but wonderful, the pins and needles as the feeling came back into his arm was totally worth it. As he entered the kitchen, both Pam and Felipe were staring at him but it was his Mom who spoke first.

"So, I noticed Sookie didn't use the airbed last night."

"Uh ... no." Eric blushed as he realised what his Mom was implying. "We fell asleep watching a movie and didn't wake up until about 20 minutes ago."

Felipe snorted and Pam glared at him before smiling sweetly at Eric. "Well, of course, what you two do together isn't any of our business but ... uh ... if the airbed isn't _needed_ in the future, if you're quite happy for Sookie to share with you, could you let us know. We could have gone to the restaurant an hour earlier if we hadn't had to pump it up and make it last night."

Eric thought about that for a moment, he _was_ happy to share his bed with her and he knew that his Mom wasn't pushing the sex aspect but the trust aspect. "Well, we didn't plan to share a bed but I'll speak to Sookie and see how she feels. She might not be ready for that kind of thing; she's been through a lot with the men in her life."

Pam laughed softly and shook her head. "Eric, if she didn't trust you she wouldn't be _able_ to sleep next to you."

Sookie cleared her throat from the doorway, failing to hide her discomfort at the fact Eric was discussing sleeping arrangements with his parents and at the same time feeling touched that he was more concerned with her comfort than anything else.

"Morning."

Eric, Pam and Felipe all greeted Sookie and Pam put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her as she sat down at the table. They talked about the local stories in the paper Felipe was reading as they ate and Sookie left at the same time as Felipe so she could get back to New York in time to get ready for a night out she had planned with Lorena.

~v~

Lorena slid a gin concoction across the table to Sookie as they sat at a small table at the back of Ward III, Sookie not being a native of the city meant she relied on Lorena to pick the nicest places for them to hang out and relax. Although they hadn't been out drinking together often, Sookie always had a good time with Lorena, they were past their phase of rehashing what Bill had done to both of them and found they had much the same interests outside of their careers.

"Soooooo ... I called your apartment last night to get your opinion on the latest script and you weren't there. I figured you were out with some young stud, so I didn't call your cell, I wouldn't have wanted to _interrupt_ anything." Lorena winked.

"Uh ... well I was _out_, as in not in my apartment but I was visiting ..." Sookie chewed on her bottom lip, wondering whether to divulge everything before taking the plunge. "I was visiting my boyfriend, he lives in Elmira. He made me an amazing dinner, followed by an out of this world chocolate cake and then we watched a movie."

Lorena's mouth was parted in shock. "Boyfriend? You didn't say anything about a boyfriend before, have you been keeping secrets Missy?"

Sookie laughed at Lorena's narrow eyed expression, knowing that the slight smirk on her face meant she wasn't truly annoyed. "Kind of, he's very special and you know how things have been, so we've been keeping things off radar."

"Until now, so what's he like? What does he do? Is he hot and does he have a brother?" The dark haired actress grinned.

"He's sweet, he's _our_ web designer, he's very hot but no, he doesn't have a brother."

"Damn!" Lorena took a swig of her cocktail. "If you've been keeping it off radar it means he's special, I'm jealous as hell but I wish both of you luck in your relationship, really. Honey, it's about time you met someone special but if he ever hurts you, I'll come down on him like a ton of bricks!"

"To be honest I'm more likely to hurt him, Eric is ... different, he's not some hotshot who plays the field and has a score of notches on his bedpost."

"So he's a nice guy." Lorena shrugged. "What makes you think you'll hurt him?"

"Well not _me_ specifically but my life, the press, the fame, the lack of privacy, he's _very_ private and his life is very structured, I just don't want to pull him into situations he can't handle."

"Well sweetie, you just have to train him to handle them, don't let the outside influences ruin what you guys have. You have to be strong _together_."

Sookie nodded and sipped at her drink before changing the subject to something less personal. When the weight of four cocktails made her bladder scream to be emptied, Sookie made her way to the bathroom, smiling and thanking a couple of bar patrons who recognised her and expressed their support. Upon returning to the table she found her seat to be occupied by a tall man with brown hair, raising her eyebrows at Lorena, the other actress quickly pointed out that he was in Sookie's seat. The man stood immediately and apologised, extending his hand to Sookie to greet her.

"Excuse me for commandeering your perch Miss, Fintan Brigant at your service!" He waved his hand with a flourish and bowed in front of Sookie, making both women giggle like schoolgirls. "I've already introduced myself to your lovely companion, Lorena; may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

"Hi, I'm Sookie, are you a friend of Lorena's?" Sookie glanced at Lorena to see her friend shaking her head and biting her lip.

"Not yet but I certainly hope to be!" He pulled two business cards and a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket and leaned on the table, leaning in very close to Lorena. "Would it be awfully forward of me to request a number I can call so I can ask you to come to a very romantic dinner with me?"

Lorena cleared her throat. "Not at all." She licked her lips and wrote her number on the back of one of the cards before dropping the other card in her tiny purse. Fintan played with the card with Lorena's number on it, winking at both of them before placing it inside his wallet.

"You'll be hearing from me soon delightful Lorena." He kissed the backs of both women's hands and bowed again. "I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."

Sookie was still giggling as she watched Fintan walking away, when she turned towards her friend Lorena was wearing a small thoughtful smile. "Well _he_ was certainly a character!"

The dark haired woman grinned. "Yes he was sweetie, yes he was."

~v~

Pam, Felipe and Eric crowded around the TV for Sookie's exclusive interview with Hadley Delahoussaye on the ET! Channel. Sam and Arlene had looked over the questions and made sure that Hadley wasn't going to be asking about her relationship status and Sam was on set, ready to demand the plug was pulled if the questions got too off track.

"So, why isn't this interviewer allowed to ask about you? You _are _her boyfriend after all." Pam looked at Eric, hoping her Son knew the answer.

"Well, those reporters that were here, Sam promised them 'the scoop' about me and Sookie. So if this interviewer coaxes any details out of her, the deal will be off and we'll have paparazzi camping out on the front lawn ... apparently ... according to Sam anyway."

Pam and Felipe nodded in understanding and Felipe got up to pour himself a glass of Four Roses before the interview started. He watched his Son, for he no longer considered Eric to be Step-anything, if he ever had for that matter, Eric was reading a text he'd just received from Sookie and smiling. The night before, Sookie and Eric had gone for their first date outside the house, Pam and Felipe spent the entire evening pacing the rooms of their home, just waiting for Sookie to call them frantically for help dealing with one of Eric's panic attacks but ... nothing. They stumbled in the door at 11.30pm, giggling and pawing at each other like ... a normal couple.

_Hi! You're watching Tube Tattler with me, Hadley Delahoussaye, tonight we've got the latest gossip on Supernatural's upcoming season, the dirt on Selah Pumphrey's departure from Beauty and the Beast and Andy Bellefleur talks family in the aftermath of his Grandmother, Caroline's, death. Caroline was a huge draw on Broadway during the 50's and her legend will live on in the hearts and minds of her fans. First though, I have Sookie Stackhouse who'll be talking about her infamous video confession and the resulting fall out. Join us after these messages._

Eric sighed and shook his head. "Y'know, it's really annoying when they do that, talk for like a minute and then cut to another break!"

Pam and Felipe just looked at each other, they knew Eric was concerned about how this interviewer would treat Sookie but voicing things that irritated him was a new development with Eric. Aloysius had been working on getting Eric to speak his mind, although Pam doubted that venting about commercials was exactly what Al was aiming for, still, it was a start.

_Welcome back, I'm Hadley Delahoussaye and this is Tube Tattler. With me right now is Sookie Stackhouse, who plays alien Doctor Troisha DeAnnet on Galaxy Pioneers. Sookie how are you enjoying being part of the show?_

_**I'm loving it Hadley, the concepts and plotlines are incredible, Rasul is amazing to work with.**_

_The season two premier party is coming up in a few weeks, are things on track with filming? It's been widely reported that rewrites had the show behind schedule._

_**There were a lot of rewrites but it hasn't affected the schedule, we're recording the finale this week in fact.**_

_Cool, so now that the obligatory 'how's work?' questions are out of the way, let's get down to the real reason we want to talk to you. The video revelation, it's made waves from coast to coast and quite a few lives have been changed because of it, some for the better and some for the worse. What made you want to speak out after keeping quiet for so long?_

_**In basic terms, I was pig sick of having a past that didn't even happen make me look bad. It was the right time for me to tell everyone what I'd gone through.**_

_Sure, sure, Amelia Broadway wrote an expose on the mistreatment of young actresses in the TV and movie industry, with many young women choosing to remain nameless in interviews to protect themselves and their careers. Did you worry that your career was at risk by making the video?_

_**Strangely, that thought hadn't crossed my mind; I just wanted everyone to know the truth.**_

_So, John Quinn was arrested a couple of days ago, any comments on that?_

_**Not really, if he was positively innocent then he wouldn't have been arrested for anything would he?**_

_Okaaaay, now there's been a lot of talk about the men in your life messing you around, has that changed your perspective on having a boyfriend?_

_**No, not at all. I may have a tough time trusting people now, but I'm not going to become a man-hating Queen of bitterness.**_

_Haha good one! You say you might have a tough time trusting people but my sources have been whispering that there's already a new special someone in your life. Would you care to comment on that?_

The family of three leaned forward on the sofa and watched as Sookie's eyes flicked to someone off camera, most likely Sam, before answering.

_**I can tell you that I have met someone, he's wonderful but that's all I'm giving you. We want to keep the world out of our relationship for just a little bit longer, we're enjoying it just being the two of us.**_

_I see, I can't coax a name, nationality or wedding date out of you?_

_**No. **_Sookie laughed. _**Certainly not.**_

_Okay then, thanks for coming in to talk to us Sookie. Next up I'll be talking about the photo's that were leaked from the set of Supernatural yesterday, stay tuned, we'll be back after the break._

"Well that was 'in depth'" Pam remarked dryly.

"It's the ADD generation, Amante, the days of long, detailed interviews are in the past now." Felipe brushed a stray hair from Pam's forehead and kissed her on the cheek.

"The interviewer wasn't a bitch to her, that's good; I was worried it would be stressful for Sookie." Pam and Felipe turned to look at Eric with confused expressions. "What? You know her job is high pressure, she doesn't need TV presenters making things worse."

Pam shook her head and cleared her throat. "Sookie said you wanted to keep the world out of your relationship for a little bit longer. How long is a little bit?"

Eric shrugged. "She got recognised in the restaurant last night, the guy wanted pictures taken with her and got me to take them, so it'll get around that she was seen at a romantic dinner with me. I don't think we can avoid it for much longer."

Pam thought for a moment before speaking. "That Hadley woman talked about the premier party for the show, why don't you announce your relationship by going with her?"

"What?" Eric gulped audibly and stood to start pacing in front of the sofa. "I ... uh ... wow ...that's a good idea but ..."

"I know it sounds dramatic baby boy but hear me out. You send a press release to that reporter that was here telling her the details the day before the party, the press show up here to interview you but you're in New York with Sookie! It's perfect! The party will be full of people trying to see the stars of the show, so you won't have to worry about being accosted because you and Sookie's relationship won't be the main event!"

Pam clapped her hands together at the genius of her idea but Eric wasn't so sure, he made a mental note to talk to Al about it and see if his counsellor thought it was as good an idea as his Mom did.

~v~

Lorena walked towards Sookie with open arms, drawing her into a bear hug to celebrate their scenes from Galaxy Pioneers being over for the season. Both women watched as Bill crushed the inhibitor chip that Captain Kirkton had been relying on to control his abusive nature and flashed a sinister grin at the camera.

"And cut! Five takes, Bill, how can you fuck up crushing a microchip and grinning four times? Seriously?" Rasul huffed and strode towards the two actresses. "Good shoot, ladies, as always." Rasul shot a pointed look at Bill before walking off set.

Bill stared at Lorena with a sneer and the actress turned her back on him, crossing her arms angrily and closing her eyes. Sookie saw Lorena's mouth move as she counted to ten, then uncrossed her arms and smiled at her friend.

"Sooooooo ... you know Fin and I have been out on a few dates now, he ... is ... fabulous!"

"Ooh! That's great!" Sookie bounced on her toes and clapped before hugging Lorena.

"He's coming to the premier party with me, is Eric coming with you?"

"Uh ... I dunno, like I've said before, he's not a schmoozer but he did mention something about it. I'll be heading up to see him tomorrow so we'll talk about it then."

"Oh! I just had the _best_ idea! I have a date with Fin tomorrow night – why don't we double date? It'll give the two guys a chance to meet each other, then at least they know _one_ person other than us at the shindig!"

"That's ... actually not a bad idea at all. I'll call Eric and we can see if something can be arranged! I'll call you later tonight after I've spoken to him okay?"

"Super duper Chica. TTFN."

Lorena kissed Sookie on both cheeks and flounced off, Sookie stood laughing at Lorena's spelling out of acronyms and over the top behaviour – Fin was certainly rubbing off on her!

~v~

Eric checked his list, so far he had almost everything he needed for when Sookie came over the next day, the only thing missing was condoms ... the thought of going to a store and buying them almost sent him under his bed but the thought of asking Pam or Felipe to pick them up really _did_ send him to his safe place. They had been going a little further with every make out session but aside from the blissful afternoon they spent exercising their oral techniques, they hadn't gone _all the way_, Eric knew he was ready ... very ready but the opportunity hadn't presented itself as yet. However, Pam and Felipe were going to be out of town all day and all night for one of Pam's colleagues wedding, they would be staying over in Binghamton and Eric and Sookie would have the whole house to themselves ... all night.

Pacing up and down his room, Eric wished he had a driver's license so he could drive far away and buy contraception where nobody knew him but his best option was taking a bus across town, maybe even two buses, one to the city centre and another out west towards the country club.

Checking the money in his wallet, he locked the door and walked down to Pennsylvania Avenue to catch the bus. When he got to what was possibly the furthest convenience store from his house, he walked around the block once to make sure no-one that he knew was hanging around, then stopped and pretended to tie his boot laces while he made sure he'd never seen the clerk before. He grabbed a basket and walked every aisle in the store to make sure he was the only one there before picking up a box of Trojans and putting them in the basket. Realising it would be less conspicuous if he was buying other things at the same time; Eric counted his money again and walked around putting a few other things in the basket.

The clerk watched the security monitor behind the counter, chuckling silently as he watched Eric attempting to covertly buy rubbers, changing his expression from amused to bored when he noticed Eric making his way to the counter. He made sure not to look Eric in the eye as he was scanning the items and made sure to put the condoms between items in the bag so they wouldn't be visible through the thin polythene. Eric observed the clerks behaviour and breathed a sigh of relief when he realised that the clerk didn't actually _care_ that he was buying condoms, he handed over his money and went home a little more aware of insignificant he actually was. To a lot of people, being insignificant was a major trauma, but to Eric it was freeing, it made him more confident to know that people _weren't_ watching him, waiting for him to mess up. They probably weren't talking about him either; a light bulb clicked on in Eric's brain as he figured out that a big chunk of his anxiety was caused by paranoia.

He got home and hid the condoms in his sock drawer before going to the kitchen and putting the marshmallow fluff, chicken bouillon and Earl Gray teabags away, hoping his Mom didn't question why things that they never usually bought were suddenly in the cupboards. Checking the time, Eric noted that his parents were due home soon, so he put on a fresh pot of coffee and started browning the chicken thighs for dinner. Pam came home first, pouring a drink and taking over at the stove after thanking Eric for starting everything, Felipe opened the door at the same moment Eric's cell started ringing in his pocket.

Eric answered as he made his way to the basement for some privacy. "Hi Sookie."

"Hey sweetie, how was your day? Did you do anything interesting?"

"What? No! Why on earth would you think I had done something interesting?"

"Uh ... okay ... I was just asking. So are you looking forward to tomorrow?"

"More than you know." Eric muttered.

"Sorry? What was that? You mumbled."

"I'm really excited to see you, I can't wait."

"Great! There ... uh ... well is there any chance we could change our plans a smidge? It's just Lorena asked if we wanted to go on a double date with her and her new guy Fintan."

"A double date? But we wouldn't be alone then!"

"I know sweetie and I'd rather it was just the two of us as well but I was thinking that with the premier coming up it would be cool if you knew someone other than me, if you wanted to go that is."

Eric thought for a moment, long enough for Sookie to ask if he was still there. "Yeah I'm here, just thinking, it's a good idea, it's just I had ... umm ... _plans_ seeing as Mom and Dad are away for a wedding in Binghamton and wouldn't be back until Sunday."

"Oh! Oh! Uh ... well ... umm ... maybe it doesn't have to be a long double date, maybe we could just meet them for dinner and come back early? I promise you'll have fun!"

"Sure, that sounds like a good compromise but we'll reserve judgement on the 'fun' part, let me know where we're going and what I should wear okay?"

"Of course I will Eric, I'm gonna go call Lorena and set things up, I'll call you back later to say goodnight."

Eric ended the call and looked longingly at his sock drawer, he hoped that it would indeed be a short night out and that it wouldn't end on a sour note. The thought of going out with another couple that he had never met before didn't really register at that point.

~v~

Sookie pulled off Elmira Road into the parking lot of Wal-Mart, completely lost about what to do about Eric, who was puffing out breaths and attempting to pull his knees up to his chest in the passenger seat. Having his seatbelt on was hampering his attempts to curl up, so Sookie released it as soon as the parking brake was engaged.

"Oh God! Eric what's wrong? How ... what do I do? What would Al do?" Sookie had been so focussed on the road that she hadn't noticed the onset of Eric's panic attack until she heard his breathing get heavier and quicker. "You ... uh ... breathing, right. Take deep breaths, count to ... uh ... 4?" Sookie started counting and grabbed Eric's face, _making_ him look at her as she counted. "In ... _1, 2, 3, 4 ..._ and out _1, 2, 3, 4_ ... slow and steady."

Once she felt his body relax, Sookie smiled and closed her eyes briefly in relief as Eric smiled back. He placed his hands on top of hers and took a deep breath.

"I ... I'm so sorry Sookie. I should have asked you to stop the car when it started."

"That's okay baby; do you want to talk about it?"

Eric sighed and turned around to stare out of the windscreen. "I just realised that they'll probably want to know ... stuff about me and I'm not sure what to tell them."

"Tell them what you feel comfortable about them knowing, they don't know _everything_ about me. You designed Lorena's new site, so they know what you do and they know you're my boyfriend so they won't need to ask about that. If they ask you about something you don't want to answer just tell them straight, say 'I'd rather not say' and leave it at that."

"That works?" He turned to look at her with a frown.

Sookie shrugged. "It works whenever Lorena asks for more information after we've been on a date. She knows you're a private person and I'm guessing that's been passed on to Fin, so if they push for details then it's their bad, not yours."

"It's _that_ simple? There's not going to be an ... interrogation?"

Sookie laughed. "Oh Lord no! Yeah, they want to meet you so they can get to know you but they're not going to ask awkward questions to make you uncomfortable!"

"So if they do ask something that makes me uncomfortable, it's not because they _want_ to make me nervous – it's because they aren't aware that it'll make me nervous."

"Exactly!"

Eric turned and smiled at Sookie and nodded when she pointed to the keys dangling from the ignition. Crisis mostly averted, they carried on their journey to meet with Lorena and Fin without further incidents.

~v~

Fintan and Lorena arrived at Maxie's Supper Club and walked arm in arm behind their hostess as she led them to a booth. Fin stopped when he saw their seats and ushered Lorena to slide into the middle section while he sat at the edge, they ordered some drinks while they waited for the other couple to join them. Their waitress had delivered their drinks and they had finished them before Sookie and Eric were shown to the booth, Sookie hugged Fin before sliding around the booth to do the same to Lorena while Eric stood looking at the floor.

"Lorena, Fin, this is Eric. Eric this is Lorena and Fintan."

Fin stood and extended his hand to Eric, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Sookie before shaking his greeting and looking Fin in the eyes. Both men sat down and Lorena leaned across the table to take Eric's hand, gushing about how great it was to meet him and how fantastic her site was looking.

"Omigod! You are a genius! Seriously, I thought maybe you had gone all out with Sookie's site seeing as you two are ... well ... but wow!"

"Now Lorena, you know that Eric and I hadn't even met when he made my website!"

Fin cleared his throat. "Yes, our girls have the best websites out of the whole cast of Galaxy Pioneers. Tell me, Eric, which school did you go to? Your professors must be very proud of the work you do. I bet you passed every exam with flying colours!"

Eric blanched and looked at Sookie again; her face was frozen in shock for a moment before she placed a hand over Eric's and smiled at Fin. "Eric's a natural!"

"Uh ... yeah, computers and website design is something I've done since high school. I never went on to further education; I just fell into starting it as a business."

"Oh! Well that's good news!" Everyone at the table looked at Fintan with expressions of slight confusion. "You don't come across a lot of guys like us; I never went on to college or university either. As soon as I graduated, I went out and got a job at the local theatre as an apprentice to the lighting technician, now I'm the technical director at the Orpheum! There's a lot to be said for just getting out there and earning – too much focus on staying in education for youngsters these days!"

Eric nodded and smiled, thankful that he wouldn't be subjected to requests about his college days and silently thanked whoever was up there when the waitress came over with the menus. They chatted about the selection of meals and what sounded tasty before making their choices and thanking the waitress before she wiggled away with their order. Lorena took a swig of her mojito and set her attention on Eric.

"So I've had a _lot_ of people asking me about how they can have you work your magic on their websites only to find that you have no advertising whatsoever! You should get on that _fast_; you could be making a mint from all the work you're missing out on by not putting yourself out there!"

"Uh ... it's not really my style; I like to keep things quiet ... select if you like." Eric spoke quickly, hoping she would drop the subject.

"Oh! Exclusive! I _like_ that! Once word gets out that you're fussy about who you work with all the major stars will be begging for your services!"

Eric paled and started pulling at the collar of his shirt. "I'm ... uh ..."

"Eric isn't exclusive because he's fussy." Sookie placed a hand on Eric's thigh to try and calm him. "He just likes every site he builds to have that personal touch, which takes time and effort. If he took on too many clients he'd have to take on staff to help him and that personal touch would be lost."

Lorena nodded and Fin leaned over to slap Eric on the shoulder. "You stick to your guns Eric; do it the way _you_ want!"

Eric nodded and smiled nervously, once again saved by the waitress as she brought over their appetisers. Lorena slowly chewed at her salad as she watched their server huddle with some other staff and start snapping pictures with their phones.

"Well, I hope we're all ready for our night out to be splashed across the tabloids tomorrow."

Sookie waved her fork dismissively. "We're meeting Sophie-Ann LeClerq tomorrow anyway."

Eric choked on his bread roll and dropped his spoon into his soup, causing splashes of the orange liquid to splatter over the crisp white tablecloth. "Oh God! I forgot about that!"

Fin laughed and slapped the table. "If it were me, I'd be choking too! I met her once when there was a rumour that that Twilight guy was going to be in a play at the Orpheum – she practically attacked everyone who worked in the theatre to find out if it was true! Awful woman!"

Lorena snorted. "Yeah, I'd hate to be stuck in an elevator with her!" She turned to Fin and nudged him. "Right?"

Fin was visibly uncomfortable at Lorena's comment. "Come on Lori, you know I don't like to talk about things like that."

"Oh! Oh Fin I'm sorry! It's just a turn of phrase, I wasn't really ... damn!"

"It's okay darling! I know that! It just took me unawares that's all."

Sookie and Eric watched the exchange with interest as Fin and Lorena fawned over one another in apology. Sookie purposefully banged her fork against the side of her plate to bring them back to the group and Fin straightened up in his chair.

"Now is as good a time as any, you might as well know everything. I, Fintan Brigant, am a claustrophobic. When I was a boy, my older brother was often assigned to babysit me and he did so by locking me in a small wardrobe, I've been treated for my fear but there are still some echoes which I cannot ignore ... namely elevators ... and the thought being stuck in one."

Both Fintan and Lorena were massively offended when Sookie and Eric both burst out in fits of laughter at Fin's confession. Their waitress had come and gotten their empty plates and had returned with their entrees before the two blondes had calmed down enough to explain what was so funny. Lorena and Fin sat open mouthed as Eric spoke calmly about his own condition, how he ended up that way and what he was doing to try and make a halfway normal life for himself. While the women were sharing a large piece of chocolate cake, Fin peppered Eric with questions.

"It's so weird how our conditions are opposite and we've come together like this! It's like a bad joke 'A claustrophobic and an agoraphobic walk into a bar'!" Eric snorted and sipped at his water. "So this Sophie chick, are you going to come clean with her or keep that part secret?"

Sookie stopped chewing and sat with her fork mid-air, waiting to see what Eric was going to say. "Well, I'm not going to volunteer the information but if she asks I'll not deny anything."

"Oh baby, that's so brave!" Sookie gushed and squeezed his thigh with her free hand.

Fin nodded. "It's the best way, hiding your problems doesn't solve anything. The first thing any counsellor will advise you to do is accept your situation because if _you_ accept it then others are more likely not to have problems with you. When you hide and deny it doesn't go unnoticed that you're hiding things, if people think you're hiding things they don't trust you and when people don't trust you it's hard to get the support you need."

"It's amazing to meet someone else and really _talk_ about this stuff. We should do this more often, the four of us." Eric looked around the table, noting Sookie's raised eyebrow.

"And you were worried about not having fun!" She checked her watch and cleared her throat. "Well, it's getting late; we've got a bit of a drive ahead of us and a busy day tomorrow so ..."

Lorena scoffed. "It's only 8.30! Are you gonna turn into a pumpkin?"

Eric blushed and Sookie stuttered, making a big deal of checking the contents of her purse. "Uh ... we wanted to spend some time alone ... going over what might happen with this interview tomorrow of course!"

Lorena laughed and Fin tapped the side of his nose with his index finger. "Oh I see! Well, you two _lovebirds_ had better go and get your stories straight ... ooh I like that euphemism!"

Sookie shook her head a Fin's delight at coining a new phrase, once the waitress had brought the check and they'd said their goodbyes to their friends, she and Eric practically raced each other to her car.


	8. Crossing the Bridge

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

Bud Dearbourne hated when his wife went to stay with her sister, not only did he have to deal with her coming home the next day and telling him all the ways that her sister's house was nicer than theirs and how much more romantic his brother in law was but he had to walk that rat of a Chihuahua that Georgette fawned over. He grunted in disgust as he put his hand in the plastic baggie and picked up the dog mess while Doodlekins looked at Bud like the human wasn't even fit to do that. Bud dragged the dog behind him on the leash, holding the baggie at arm's length, towards the trash can at the side of the house. Bud had noted the lack of cars in the Northman-De Castro driveway, there was also a distinct lack of lights on. The ex-Sherriff clucked his tongue and had just made a mental note to talk to them about timer switches for their lights when an Audi soft top pulled into the drive.

Sookie and Eric emerged from the vehicle giggling before making their way arm in arm to the front door, stealing quick kisses every few steps. Bud cleared his throat and yanked at the leash to try and stop Doodlekins from growling at his neighbour.

"Eric, I noticed there was no-one home. You know that means that burglars probably noticed it too right?"

"Uh ... I never actually thought about that Mr. Dearbourne but thanks for pointing it out." Sookie and Eric turned to climb the steps to the front door.

"I can recommend some very reliable timers for your lights, makes it seem like someone's at home even if they aren't. Why don't I pop inside and get the catalogue for ya?"

"That's okay, we'll be inside ... all night ... you could just drop them off tomorrow and I'll have my Dad look over them."

"Okay, okay." Bud took in Eric and his date's appearance, the girl looked familiar. "You guys are all dressed up, out on a date?"

Sookie stifled a snigger as she heard Eric grind his teeth when he smiled at his neighbour. "Yes, it was a double date so we're looking forward to getting inside and relaxing y'know."

"Sure, I hope you had a good time ... say ... don't I know you Miss? I can't place where I've saw you but I know I've seen you before. Bud Dearbourne, I live next door."

"Uh ... I'm on TV and I've been in the papers recently." Sookie walked towards the older gentleman and stretched out her hand. "Sookie Stackhouse; pleased to meet you." Behind her Eric shuffled his feet and cleared his throat, Sookie smiled at Bud. "If you'll excuse us we have a big day tomorrow and need to talk about a few things."

"Oh sure! No problem, Eric I'll drop those catalogues in tomorrow morning okay?"

"That would be great Mr. Dearbourne, you have a nice night." Eric waved to his neighbour while opening the front door, as soon as it was closed behind them Eric let out a breath. "I thought he'd keep us out there talking all night!"

"Eric!" Sookie chided. "He was just being neighbourly; it's good that he watches out for that stuff."

"Not when all I want to do is be alone with you."

Sookie raised an eyebrow. "And now that you have me all alone what are you going to do with me?"

"Uh ..." The colour ran from Eric's face. "I ... well ... I didn't _plan_ anything, like details or ... I was just hoping ..."

Sookie interrupted him with a kiss and tugged his hand so he would follow her to his room. "Why don't we just see where things take us?"

Eric nodded and let out a sigh of relief that Sookie didn't expect him to list the things he wanted to do with her. As he got to the door to the basement, his stomach tied in knots and he had to force his body to follow his girlfriend down the stairs. Eric tried to calm himself by listing all of the other firsts he had experienced with Sookie. His first meal in a restaurant, his first date, his first kiss, his first counselling session outside his home or on the phone, his first night out with friends but none of them seemed as important as this. Sensing some trepidation on Eric's part, Sookie stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to him, placing a hand on each side of his face.

"I want you to know how special I think this is, this is my first time with you and it really means something but if you want to stop, at any time, please tell me. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything."

Eric nodded again and let Sookie lead him to the bed; he wondered when was the best time to bring up the condoms in his sock drawer then figured there was no time like the present.

"I ... I bought _protection_ ...it's ... uh ... they're ..."

"Shh." Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck and silenced him with her lips. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Eric let Sookie push him onto the bed and watched her intently as she climbed onto his lap, straddling him, pressing her hands against his chest to make him lie down, bringing her face closer to his and covering his mouth with her own. Sookie's hands explored every square inch of Eric's chest as their kissing became almost frenzied; Eric gasped and squeezed his eyes closed as Sookie circled her hips, grinding her pelvis against his already rigid length. He gripped her thighs with his large hands and pushed her away from his arousal, knowing that the anticipation of the moment had already made him sensitive to her touch and he was terrified of disappointing his girlfriend.

"Sookie, please, I don't want this to end too soon."

Sookie sat up and looked confused for a moment before realising Eric was worried about his excitement getting the better of him. They had only just started and he was concerned about it being over?

"You're close? Already?"

"Well, not right now but I don't want to ... uh ... get carried away."

Sookie nodded and wondered what she could do; she kissed him softly on the lips before moving her mouth towards his ear and whispering. "I'll take care of you, then you can relax and just enjoy what we do afterwards."

Eric grunted as she squeezed the bulge in his pants. "But what if I can't ... y'know ... again."

Sookie shushed him and pulled at his belt. "We've got all night baby."

Eric relented to Sookie's onslaught, passively allowing her to remove every stitch of his clothing, bucking into her hand as she stroked him, gritting his teeth and pulling at the zipper of her dress as she brought him closer and closer to the edge. The movement of her hand slowed as she shrugged her outfit over her shoulders and Eric whimpered with need, burying his face into her exposed cleavage and sucking her flesh through the lace of her bra. Sookie took a sharp breath as his mouth found her aching nipple and shuddered as Eric's hand snaked up her thigh and between her legs. When he felt how damp Sookie's panties were, Eric panted and thrust into her grip faster, grunting, shaking, nipping at the uncovered flesh of the swell of her breasts until he stiffened and dug his fingers into Sookie's firm buttocks as he spilled his seed over her hand and wrist. Sookie remained still until she felt his grip loosen on her behind, then she silently went to the bathroom and came back with a warm washcloth to clean them both up.

Eric was still dazed from the experience and tried to move to help Sookie clean up but found he was unable. It seemed the only part of him that was working at that moment in time was his voice.

"God, Sookie, I love you."

Sookie stopped what she was doing and suddenly Eric's body was fully functional. He sat up, making her jump back with surprise, and she saw the fear and panic in his eyes. She set the wash cloth to one side and sat on his lap to prevent him from running; taking him in her arms she covered his face in soft kisses before looking him in the eye.

"I love you too Eric. I love everything about you, I love how you make me feel, I love how strong you are, I love how sweet you are." She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. "I love _you_."

She prevented him from saying anything else by placing her mouth over his, their tongues moving against each other. The stiff peaks of Sookie's breasts brushed against Eric's chest and made both of them shiver with delight, Eric pushed Sookie off his lap so she was standing before him and tugged her dress over her ample hips, Sookie kicked it to one side and stood before him in her underwear and shoes. Eric stared at her almost naked form, licking his lips as his eyes travelled from the black patent high heels, up to her face where she was smirking at his reaction to her. Eric felt sated yet in need of more, his desire for Sookie was a fire that he wasn't sure would ever be extinguished; he pulled her back onto his lap and weaved his fingers through her hair as he kissed her.

Eric lifted Sookie and turned so he could lie on top of her on the bed, he wanted to touch her, taste her, to cover every inch of her skin with his hands and mouth. He tugged impatiently at her lacy under things, making Sookie giggle into his hair as he softly ran his tongue along her clavicle, up her neck, her giggle turned to a gasp as Eric sucked on her earlobe and placed a hand on her breast. Sookie arched her back as Eric kissed, licked, sucked, pinched, rolled and kneaded all of the sensitive spots around her body until she was writhing beneath him, rubbing her thighs together, desperate for him to pay attention to the throbbing between her legs.

His hands fumbled with the hooks of her bra and his kisses had stopped to make room for the huffs of exasperation Eric was issuing as he tried and failed to unfasten the garment. Feeling his body tense with frustration, Sookie reached back and seconds later she was throwing the lace and wire contraption off the bed. Eric wasted no time in worshipping her naked torso, devouring the milky white skin of her mounds which contrasted the golden tan of her shoulders, arms and stomach, her hands yanked at his hair as he paid attention to the rosy pink peaks. Sookie could feel his manhood twitch against her leg and smiled, maybe they wouldn't need _all_ night after all.

Amazed at the recovery his body, especially his penis, had made, Eric ran a hand down Sookie's body to stroke her thigh as he leaned on one elbow and continued to enjoy ravishing her natural bounty. When Sookie attempted to move her hips closer to Eric's hand, he stopped to look at her, her brow was creased in frustration, he moved his hand to her stomach, down to gently caress the waistband of her panties with his finger tips. He groaned as she lifted her hips from the bed, chanting his name softly, she wanted him to touch her so badly, to give her some relief, following the instructions Sookie's body was giving him, Eric moved his knee between hers and nudged her legs apart, stroking her through her damp panties and watching her facial expression change. Sookie hissed with pleasure and tried to push herself against Eric's hand harder, she needed more.

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease."

Eric was at full mast, hearing Sookie beg for his touch, he slipped his hand inside her panties; she was so wet, so hot. Her quiet chanting continued as he stroked her, gathering her juices on his fingers and circling her sensitive bundle of nerves delicately, slowly. Sookie sobbed as he removed his hand to take off her underwear, kneeling back, Eric stared at his girlfriend as her fully naked form was revealed to him. He kissed her knee, the inside of her thigh, watching as she began to massage one of her own breasts, plucking at the hard pink bud and biting her lower lip. His eyes were still trained on her as he lowered his mouth and lapped at her folds for a short time before probing her opening with his fingers.

Sookie grabbed at Eric's hair, holding him against her, grinding onto his hand while she moaned out his name, she felt him change the position of his hand and his fingertips rubbing around her channel until he found the right spot. Her bucking hips threw Eric slightly off balance as she panted and moaned, closer, closer, he tried to keep his concentration as Sookie's fingernails scrabbled at his shoulders, urging him to climb up her body and sheath his erection within her walls but he resisted. Sookie was lost to the wave of pleasure cresting, her vocalisations becoming louder as her stomach clenched, her vision clouded in a silver haze and her inner muscles gripping at Eric's fingers as she toppled over the edge into orgasm.

Laying soft kisses over her body, Eric moved up her shivering form to claim her lips, Sookie could taste herself on his tongue and grabbed at his hips, pulling him into her.

"Wait, wait ... the condom."

"I'm on the pill, leave it, I need you."

"Are you sure?"

"Eriiiiiic!"

Sookie pulled harder, cupping his buttocks and digging her fingertips into the firm flesh until he relented and placed himself at her entrance. Eric puffed out his cheeks and slowly, carefully, pushed into her, his eyes screwed closed and his hands gripping the sheet beneath them. She felt better than anything his imagination could ever come up with as his hard member slipped inside her, meeting minimal resistance, Sookie was tight around him but obviously not in any pain as she was wrapping her legs around his waist, insisting he carry on until he was buried to the hilt. Eric bit his lip to stem the string of profanities that was threatening to burst from his mouth, when he opened his eyes, Sookie was arching from the bed, attempting to rock against him. He held her with one hand behind her shoulder and one on her lower back and bent his head to her nipples, holding her in place as he pulled out and thrust back in at an agonising pace. Sookie wiggled and braced her hands behind her, desperate for leverage as she struggled to make Eric go faster.

"I need more Eric, faster, pleeeeease."

Eric released her nipple and crashed his mouth to hers, lowering her back to the bed and quickening his movements; Sookie met him thrust for thrust, the sensation of him filling her, his pelvis rubbing against her bump every time he pressed into her. Eric grit his teeth, he didn't want this to end, being inside Sookie was so _right_.

"Sookie, look at me."

Her eyes snapped open and Eric moved his hand to settle his thumb over her pearl, pressing it lightly and circling as he forged into her again and again. He was entranced by the feelings he saw in her eyes, he could see it, she loved him; he hoped that she would see the same thing when she looked into his eyes. Sookie could feel another climax barrelling towards her and struggled to keep her gaze locked on those two blue orbs, the intensity was overwhelming and she could tell that Eric was close to having his own moment of ecstasy. Surrendering to the pleasure, her breath burst from her chest in short gasps as her brow creased, her fingers gouged at Eric's shoulders as she shuddered with completion. Eric was fighting to keep going and when he felt Sookie's walls clamp around him, making her tighter, his own powerful conclusion ripped a primal groan from his chest and he froze in place, holding Sookie tighter than she was comfortable with and burying his head in the crook of her shoulder.

"Ugh! Eric ... need to breathe!"

"Oh God! Sorry!" Eric let go and rolled to Sookie's side before gathering her, gently, back into his arms. "That was ... you looked ... it _felt_ ... like you enjoyed it."

"I did, very, very much ... you?"

"I ... I don't think there is a word for how much I enjoyed that. I feel manly."

Sookie laughed. "Well it's a good thing you're a man then isn't it? I'm enjoying snuggling with you but we should get cleaned up."

Eric nodded but didn't let Sookie go, he groaned in protest and tried to pull her back to the bed when she got up to retrieve the wash cloth she'd used earlier. He closed his eyes and waited for her to come back to him.

~v~

Sophie-Ann LeClerq sat in the hotel suite, impatiently drumming her acrylics on the table with one hand and flipping through her notebook with the other as Chow set up his camera and the stylist quietly arranged different pots, jars and brushes in the bedroom. She had been annoyed when Sookie's boyfriend had been mentioned on _Tube Tattler_ with that amateur Delahoussaye but once word had spread that she, Sophie-Ann LeClerq, would have the exclusive interview as they publicised their relationship, it was all good.

"So, Davis actually said that this would make cover?"

She pursed her lips and closed her notebook when Chow interrupted her train of thought. "Stan said, and I quote, 'if this is done right it'll be the best cover story in months', so, no, he didn't say it would _definitely_ make cover. You make them look good and I'll make them sound interesting, it should be a slam dunk."

"Did the Shifter issue guidelines?" Chow sneered as Sam's nickname spilled from between his lips.

"Nope!" Sophie-Ann grinned. "This is a no holds barred affair, and you _know_ how much I like those!"

Chow shook his head and laughed, remembering when he and Soph first worked together, he thought she was an uppity, heartless bitch and she thought he was incompetent but by the end of the job they were firm friends and hadn't worked with anyone else since. Stan called them his 'dynamic duo'; they had more cover stories than any other team at OK! And contrary to what many outsiders thought, they never made anyone look bad who didn't deserve it.

~v~

Sam Merlotte paced by the entrance of the Homewood Suites at Tompkins Regional Airport, he was waiting for Sookie and Eric but mostly he was making sure that there weren't any other paps around to make this difficult. He had warned Hadley not to ask about Sookie's love life and what did the stupid bitch do? She asked about Sookie's love life in a way that would be very suspicious if Sookie didn't answer! The ET! Channel had been informed that any future interviews with clients of shining star agency were to be undertaken by professionals who respected the system, not glamour whores. It wasn't like he hadn't offered her anything in return for keeping to the preferred questions, just like he did with Sophie-Ann – he promised her an exclusive if she backed off, _that_ was the system, tit for tat, you scratch my back and I scratch yours. Hadley Delahoussaye had _not_ scratched Sam's back.

He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Arlene, Eric's Mom had some crazy idea about announcing Eric as Sookie's boyfriend at the actual premiere of Galaxy Pioneers. That would have been a massive fail on so many levels it was beyond belief, one because Soph wouldn't have gotten her exclusive, two because the focus of the premiere should be on the show and not the stars personal relationships and three because going to a huge party would be stressful enough for Eric without adding the stress of it being his first time in the public eye. Sam sighed and lit a cigarette, ten minutes, if they weren't here in ten minutes he was calling Sookie.

Sookie's eyes glanced at the clock on the dashboard for the hundredth time since she and Eric had left the Northman-De Castro house. When they had fallen asleep naked, then woken up naked, leading to more naked things, she hadn't considered said nakedness might possibly affect their plans for the next day.

"We're _not_ going to be late, the interview isn't until one, its 12.30 and we're ten minutes away." Eric was surprisingly calm in the passenger seat, which made Sookie nervous. "Trust me, if we wanted we could stop and have a quickie and _still_ be there on time!"

Sookie blanched and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Is this all it's going to be about now? Sex? How much you can get and when you can get it?"

Eric's mouth opened in shock. "I ... I was just trying to lighten the mood, I didn't mean anything by it ... no it's not just about sex, it never was and it never will be!"

The actress sighed and circled her shoulders in an attempt to relax. "I'm sorry baby, I ... I shouldn't have said that. I know that you care about more than the physical stuff, I'm an ass, last night was your first time – it would be ridiculous if it wasn't on your mind more than before."

Eric smiled. "Oh good! I thought you'd turned me into a deviant! I haven't been able to think about much of anything except ... what we did last night ... and at 4am ... and when we woke up ... and after breakfast."

Sookie held Eric's hand over the centre console and grinned at the faraway look in his eyes. "Truth be told, it's been occupying my thoughts too. Maybe I should focus on all those things rather than what we're on our way to do and I might be as relaxed as you!"

Eric snorted. "If we get to the suite without me having a meltdown it'll be a good day!"

Although they were said in jest, those words prayed on Sookie the rest of the way to the airport. As she pulled up across from the hotel, Sookie kept her eyes on Eric, watching, waiting for the first signs of panic but he smiled sweetly and kissed the back of her hand before they got out of the car. Sam was waiting for them at the entrance, his hair in disarray and smelling of Marlboro lights, the Shifter quickly herded them inside and straight into an elevator. As soon as the doors slid closed, Eric began to chuckle.

Sookie and Sam looked at Eric, then at each other. "Is he ... uh ... okay? You didn't give him anything to _relax_ him did you?"

"Sam! Of course not!" Sookie put a hand on Eric's arm. "What's so funny baby?"

"I was just thinking about meeting Fin last night, he's a nice guy, I'm looking forward to talking to him again."

Sookie nodded in understanding and Sam accepted Eric's explanation without asking why an elevator would make him think about Lorena's boy toy. It wasn't until they were walking along the corridor towards the suite where Sophie-Ann waited that Eric's posture started to stiffen, Sookie wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and placed a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles through the soft fabric of his shirt. Sam knocked on the door and failed to notice the silent war going on in Eric's expressions behind him, Chow, however, locked on to Eric's terrified features as soon as he opened the door and greeted them.

"Mr. Merlotte, Miss Stackhouse and this must be Mr. Northman." He grinned. "Very nice! I hope you're photogenic!"

The colour drained from Eric's face and Sookie had to nudge him forward to get him to enter the room. "You can do this baby, I know you can." She whispered, hoping he could hear her.

Sam stood a few feet into the room, looking around to check and see who was there. Chow, Sophie-Ann and another girl, he pointed at the unknown member of the entourage and scowled.

"Who are you?"

"I ... Jennifer, Jennifer Cater ... I'm the st ... stylist." The poor girl stuttered and folded her arms across her body, trying to make herself seem smaller ... less of a threat.

Sam raised an eyebrow in Sophie-Ann's direction. "A stylist? That's very kind of you Sophie-Ann, I appreciate it."

Jennifer relaxed and waited for the golden couple to appear, that's what it seemed like they were anyway, she had overheard Soph and Chow talking about how they couldn't wait to see this Northman guy up close. From the way they spoke, it seemed like he was off-the-thermometer hot but Jennifer knew that the kind of people she worked with had the tendency to exaggerate. When Eric walked through the door, Jennifer choked on her own spit, earning her an angry glance from Sookie and making Eric more wary of being there than he already was. Jennifer smiled nervously and excused herself to make sure everything was ready.

Sophie-Ann clapped her hands and grinned widely. "So what do you guys want to do first? Talking or photos?"

Sookie looked at Eric's 'deer in the headlights' expression and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Talking please, Eric is a little nervous and I think once the interview is over he might relax enough to look ... not nervous in the photos."

"Well let's just jump right in then shall we?" Sophie-Ann gestured to the love seat and watched as Eric moved stiffly and sat down as if he had a rod in his back. "I can see you're ... ill at ease Eric, may I call you Eric?" He nodded slowly. "I'd like to let you know that we're not here today for me to dredge up your dirty little secrets and make you look bad."

"You're not?" Eric and Sookie spoke at the same time and Sam chuckled in the corner.

"Sookie, Eric, did you think I'd lead you into the lion's den?" Sam smiled at them. "Soph is here for a story, she wants your side, if all she wanted to do was wreck your reputations she would have printed any old crap she dug up on the internet."

Sophie-Ann nodded and looked serious for a second. "Speaking of which, I _have_ been doing a considerable amount of digging." She waved her notebook in front of her. "I've found out a lot, especially about you Eric but the purpose here is for me to converse with you about what I've found out and for you to tell me, in your own words, what the story is behind that info."

"What if Eric doesn't want you to know the story?" Sookie blurted out. "Eric is a very private person and it should be up to him to decide how much you should know."

"That's very true." Sophie-Ann nodded and turned her full attention back to Eric. "As I was saying, you're ill at ease, if at any point you don't want to answer a question ... I guess I can live with that, I'm a good writer, believe it or not, I know when to pad out a story to prevent missing information being noticed."

Eric relaxed a little and Sookie moved along the seat to lean against him as Sophie-Ann continued. "Okay, so first I'm going to ask Sookie about her past and how she's been hurt by the men in her past, that will lead us to how she met you, Eric, and then I'll ask you some things about your past and how you feel about being involved with someone as well known as Sookie. Does that sound okay to you guys?"

Sookie and Eric both smiled and nodded at Sophie-Ann before turning to the clicking noise coming from Chow. "Sorry, you both looked so comfortable and natural; I wanted to take some snapshots before we do the proper shoot."

"That's a great idea Chow!" Sophie-Ann flipped her notebook open. "In fact, would it be okay if Chow snaps a few more as we're talking? I've gathered that Eric is 'Joe Normal' so giving the feature some casual images would suit better than posed shots."

Sophie-Ann turned on her Dictaphone and started by rehashing everything with Quinn, then Bill's attempt at ruining Sookie's career. She spoke a little about Sookie's friendship with Lorena before moving on to Galaxy Pioneers.

"The show premieres in two weeks time, are you excited about how your fans respond to actually seeing you play the part?"

"I'm terrified to be honest!" Sookie laughed. "There's been so much hype; I'm worried about living up their expectations!"

"Rumour has it that Galaxy Pioneers is already earmarked for nomination for Best TV Show at the SFX awards with other nominations soon to follow, how does it feel to be involved with something so big after your career being in the doldrums for so long?"

"It's amazing, I feel so honoured to be a part of it. There were times when I thought about maybe just giving up on acting but I _knew_ it was something I was good at and it's what I always wanted to do, I just had to wait until I found a break."

"And a break you got! Not only in your career but your love life too, you wouldn't have met Eric if it wasn't for Galaxy Pioneers would you?"

"Actually no, I don't think I would have."

"Eric is the designer behind you and Lorena's websites and several others that we've come across, what made you go to him rather than anyone else when it came to making your video statement?"

"Well it was my agent, Arlene's idea to go to him but we knew we couldn't trust anyone else. It's so strange but even though we'd never met, I just ... had this feeling that he would never do me wrong. Before I even laid eyes on him I knew he was special."

"Speaking of that, Eric, I understand that you had a tough time growing up. Can you tell me a little about that?"

"Uh ..." Eric wriggled in his seat and cleared his throat. "Yes, I did have a tough time. I was that kid, the one with something to point and laugh about and the stress made me ... pretty ill, I didn't get to finish school."

Sophie-Ann nodded sympathetically. "I saw the website that you made regarding your ME, it was fascinating reading things from a subject's point of view rather than a doctor and I understand that you're hinting that you were bullied at school, did the ME come before the bullying or after?"

Eric looked at Sookie, Sookie looked at Sam and Sam shrugged his shoulders and deferred back to Eric. Sophie-Ann had obviously done her homework, it was to be expected, and her line of questioning wasn't offensive or intrusive, Eric's ME was online for the public to see, asking if bullying was the cause of the illness wasn't the kind of question Sam thought he should put a stop to. Eric took a deep breath and pulled Sookie closer to him.

"The ME came after. I was bullied because I had some scarring from a bad dose of chicken pox ... it sounds so stupid now." He shook his head smiling. "Kids are cruel even if you don't have any physical flaws for them to target but it got pretty bad and my immune system just couldn't handle the stress of going to school after lying awake worrying about it and then being pushed around and shouted at all day. The last full day I had at school must have been when I was 16, I never graduated, never took my SAT's, never went to prom."

Sophie-Ann hadn't expected Eric to actually answer, she had thought he would shut down altogether or fob her off with some lame line about bullies not affecting his life. She flipped to a page of her notes she had really wanted to use but didn't think she would have the chance.

"I spoke to a couple of people who were in the same class as you, Sandy and Victor." Eric snorted. "Sandy wanted me to tell you that she's sorry for everything she said to you and Victor ... well he seemed to be under the impression that you were dead. Is there a reason that he would think that?"

Sookie closed her eyes and squeezed Eric's hand, she heard him take a breath and felt her heart thunder in her ears, he was going to answer the question.

"He wouldn't have seen me around town, with the illnesses, the bullying then the ME ... I developed another condition. I'm agoraphobic, I have panic attacks ... in short, I have mental health problems."

Sophie-Ann's chin dropped, she couldn't take her eyes off Eric as she dropped her notebook to the floor. She was completely speechless; she watched as Sookie wrapped her arms around Eric and told her how proud she was of him. She listened as Chow clicked his camera as they kissed tenderly on the loveseat and gazed into each other's eyes, it wasn't until she heard Sam clearing his throat that she tried to find some line of questioning ... anything to make her look like the professional she was!

"Uh ... well I didn't expect that! Staying on that subject slightly ... yes, you were bullied but here you are – a successful businessman with a beautiful, famous, girlfriend, obviously you're making strides with your mental illness seeing as you're here today and the ones who bullied you are single and languishing in dead end jobs. Do you think that's Karmic?"

"Saying its Karmic is reading a little too much into things I think. People make choices, sometimes they aren't the right choices, sometimes the ability to choose is taken away from you."

"And what choices of yours brought you and Sookie together?"

"I chose to contact her about her website, she didn't seem to have an organised fan base and there was a lot of negativity from other camps. A well designed site can be the hub of your fan base; there are still some who don't see the impact a poor site can have on their image."

"And the rest, as they say, is history?" Sookie and Eric both laughed. "So in the space of, what? A month? You've gone from reclusive web designer, who some people considered dead due to lack of appearances, to boyfriend of the most gossip-worthy starlet in TV fandom. How are you going to handle the fame that comes with associating with Sookie?"

"One day at a time, Sophie-Ann, that's all anyone can do."

"Sookie, do you worry that the limelight will put a strain on your relationship?"

"I do." Sookie nodded and sighed. "But I think what Eric and I have is stronger than that, we've come a long way together and whatever we come up against, we'll work together to get past it and come out the other side stronger than ever."

"Clichéd but I can see your point. So will there be wedding bells in the near future?"

Eric coughed so hard and long, Sam had to get him a glass of water, Sookie was patting his back, trying to hide her annoyance at his reaction. Sophie-Ann's lips were stretched to the limit as she tried to hold in her amusement. "I'll take it that's a 'no' then Eric?"

"Ah ... it's not that." He pulled Sookie back to his side and kissed her temple softly. "What you have to remember is that I've been very isolated, as you pointed out yourself, it's been a rollercoaster month for me. I'm not saying I don't want to marry Sookie; you took me by surprise because I haven't really thought that far into the future yet. Like I said earlier, one day at a time."

Sookie relaxed into his hold and placed a hand on his chest, smiling up at him tenderly and trying to ignore Chow snapping away in the background. Sophie-Ann cocked her head to one side and smiled, she thought that they really _were_ a cute couple, with their matching hair and his large frame wrapped around her protectively despite the fact that Sookie seemed to be the stronger one in the relationship.

"Okay one last question and then we'll get the two of you spruced up for some cover shots." Sookie and Eric turned to her and nodded. "Sookie, have you been approached by any other studio's for work? Now you're back on track with your career, I would imagine many directors would be interested in hiring you for different projects."

"Well, I've had my hands full recently, after not working in the business on such an intense scale for so long, I'm happy to just be working on Galaxy Pioneers. I can tell you that I've been contracted to resume my role of Troisha next season but I haven't got any projects lined up for the show's hiatus."

"And we're done!" Sophie-Ann called Jennifer back into the room and explained what kind of look she wanted Sookie and Eric to have. "I have to say, this has been amazingly insightful. Eric, I'm sure you'll have quite a few people knocking on your door after this is published."

"What? Why?" Eric tried to turn towards Sophie-Ann but Jennifer held his chin as she was applying powder to his nose and forehead.

"Well, talking about being bullied and how it's affected your life will bring you to the attention of all sorts of people. Charities looking for someone to be the face of a campaign, psychologists looking for someone to include in their next study, you might even be asked to consult with authors on books regarding your experiences."

"I ... I don't think I want that." Eric mumbled as Chow pushed him gently into a chair and told Sookie to sit in his lap.

"Whether you want it or not, they'll come." Sophie-Ann laughed.

"She's right Eric." Sam pushed himself away from the wall where he'd been leaning and rubbed his scruffy chin with his hand. "I'll help you where I can, but I can't do it for free. I'll speak to Siegebert and Wybert at Shining Star and see what we can come up with."

"Uh ... okay." Eric looked at Sookie and she smiled at him, cupping his cheek with one hand and looking into his eyes. Eric placed his hand over hers and kissed the tip of her nose, making her giggle.

"Perfect!" Chow exclaimed. "One last shot, I want you to get _real _close and smile at me like I'm a puppy who's done a cute trick!"

~v~

Pam and Felipe were having dinner when their peace was interrupted by Eric, Sookie and Sam entering the house. Pam quietly set her fork down and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, closing her eyes and waiting for the worst. Felipe, being more optimistic, stood from the table and called out to the trio.

"We're in here guys, plenty of food still warm if you're hungry!"

Eric appeared at the door, smiling and holding Sookie into his side. Pam sighed in relief and grinned at them, eyeing Sam curiously.

"Oh! Mom this is Sam Merlotte, you may remember Arlene referring to him as the Shifter."

Felipe moved around and stretched his hand out, Sam accepted but was slightly shocked when Felipe pulled him into a back slapping hug.

"Sam! It's good to meet you! I'm Eric's Dad, Felipe and this is his beautiful Mom, Pam."

Pam nodded to Sam and extended her hand to meet his when he offered it. Sam was thankful Pam hadn't hugged him too; he wasn't really the touchy-feely type. A little confused, he turned back to Felipe.

"I thought you were Eric's teacher ... you know what? Never mind!"

Eric smiled at Felipe and squeezed Sookie a little tighter. "He _was _my teacher but now he's ... he's my Dad, the only Dad I've ever had and the only one I'll ever need!"

The moment was interrupted by Pam stifling a sob, she dabbed at her eyes with her napkin, she knew that Eric had been more than accepting of her relationship with Felipe and that Felipe had always had fatherly affection for Eric but hearing them say, out loud, that Felipe was Eric's _Dad_ was more touching than anything her own father had said to her and more meaningful than any gesture Frank Northman had ever made to his own flesh and blood.

"Mi Reina, Mi Diosa del Amor, are you okay?" Felipe was at his wife's side in an instant. Pam sniffed and waved her hands as if it would make everyone in the room stop looking at her.

"I'm fine, Niño Grande, just fine." She winked at her husband.

Sam felt his face flush and cleared his throat, wishing he wasn't fluent in Spanish; he could do without such personal sweet nothings being declared in his presence. As they all settled at the kitchen table and extra portions of lamb and tomato casserole were heaped onto plates already loaded with wild rice, Sam looked around at the family. He could see where Eric got his strength from, and his humility. The love between Pam, Felipe and Eric was obvious and Sookie looked like she'd been born to sit at the table with them. The Shifter closed his eyes as a chunk of juicy lamb practically melted on his tongue and realised the world would be a better place if everyone could find somewhere they belonged.


	9. Facing the Issue

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

Pam slapped at Eric's hands and took over with his tie, huffing at the mess he was making of it. She was nervous for her sweet boy, tonight was his first big party and what a party it was touted to be! It was obvious that it was a daunting prospect for him.

"You'll be fine baby boy, you'll eat, you'll watch the first few episodes of Sookie's show, you'll talk with Fin and Lori, you'll have a great time!"

"What ... what if someone asks me something?"

"Like what? Remember what this party is for, the focus isn't on you, sweetie, Sookie is the one everyone will want to talk to!"

"You're right Mom." He circled his shoulders and ran his hands through his new haircut. "Is my hair okay?"

Pam dropped her arms to her sides and narrowed her eyes. "Are you still questioning my styling abilities? It looks great!"

"No! No, you're great at cutting hair and thank goodness you are – I couldn't have spent another minute in that salon. My face was peering out from every magazine in the waiting area, it was creepy." Eric continued to preen until Pam slapped at his hands again, muttering about him playing with his hair so much it would end up looking greasy. "Do you think Sookie will like it? I didn't tell her I was getting it done."

"I think you look even more handsome than you did before and if Sookie doesn't like it, then she's crazy, pure and simple."

Eric nodded and looped the tie back over his head, placing it in the garment bag with the rest of his suit, double checking he had everything for his first night away from home. Sookie had booked them into a hotel very close to where the party was to be held. His emotions were like a hurricane inside him, he had already had to call Aloysius for impromptu counselling twice since waking, he wished Sookie was there, she calmed him, made him feel ... sane. He looked at the clock, it was almost time to leave, his Mom was driving him to the pick-up point down town and he had a long journey before he would get to NYC where Sookie would be waiting for him at the port authority. Eric just hoped he didn't get stuck sitting next to someone who talked a lot, or smelled bad, or snored for the whole trip ... he'd been told many horror stories about long bus journeys.

~v~

Sookie rushed through the New York streets, it was a short walk to the bus station from where she'd parked on W39th Street but she was running late. She had to apologise to three different people who tried to stop her to take photos with their cell phones or ask for an autograph, she _had_ to be there when Eric got off that bus. He had come so far but the slightest little thing could set him back, at least that was Sookie's fear. The actress was slightly out of breath when she got to the arrivals board and scanned it to see which direction she should be heading in, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Eric's bus hadn't arrived yet. Making her way through the crowd, she eventually found herself at the right gate and slumped onto a chair to calm down before she saw her boyfriend. Sookie felt someone sit down next to her and an elbow nudge her in the ribs rudely.

"Hey Sookie."

She looked at the man closely; she definitely hadn't seen him before. He was older than her, perhaps in his late 30's, with mousy brown hair and sharp features ... like a rat.

"Uh ... hi. Do I know you?"

"No, no, I'm just a fan ... Sookie." Sookie bristled at how familiar he was trying to be despite never having met him and shifted so she wasn't sitting _quite_ as close to him. "Are you here to catch a bus?"

"Actually no, I'm waiting for someone."

The man laughed and Sookie wished she had asked Arlene or Lorena to come with her; she was very, very uncomfortable with what was happening. Deciding that the old saying, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, was probably the right way to go, she turned and smiled at the man.

"So you're a fan huh? Can I have your name?"

"The name's Gabe. I love _all_ your work." Gabe leered at her, drawing his eyes from her sneaker clad feet up to her face then back down to settle on her breasts.

"Wow ... you'll ... uh ... be looking forward to the new season of Galaxy Pioneers then?"

Gabe shrugged. "I've heard you don't take your clothes off, so no, not really."

Sookie closed her eyes and swallowed, taking deep breaths before opening them to find that Gabe had moved closer to her again and turned so his arm was resting on the back of the seat behind her. She looked around, hoping that other travellers would recognise her and come over, she never thought she would wish for that, a couple were chatting between themselves heatedly, there was an older lady absorbed in her knitting and another young man engrossed in his cell phone. She cleared her throat and tried to smile at Gabe.

"I haven't taken my clothes off in any of my work Gabe; you must have me mistaken for someone else."

"Oh no, you've filled out some since those pictures in the paper but you most definitely _have_ taken your clothes off for a camera sugar."

He extended a hand to try and touch her and she leapt off the seat. "I'd really appreciate if you didn't try to touch me Sir. I don't want any trouble; I'm just waiting for my boyfriend. His bus should be here real soon."

Gabe snorted and brought a hand down to rest over his crotch, Sookie looked away before he could do anything with it and moved across the waiting area to sit next to 'Cell phone Guy'. When she finally looked up, Gabe was gone and the man next to her was staring at her.

"Sorry, that guy was creepy; I knew he wouldn't bother me again if I was sitting with someone."

The man's eyes darted between her and his phone, he tried to hide the screen but Sookie saw that he'd been using twitter and looked very annoyed that he'd been interrupted. She busied herself putting some lip gloss on and checking her hair in a tiny mirror to make sure she looked 'together' when she saw Eric. It wasn't long before a bus pulled into the gate and its passengers started to disembark.

Eric waited until all of the other passengers had moved to the front of the bus before standing and retrieving his bags from the overhead compartment. He could see Sookie, craning her neck on the platform to try and spot him, so he knocked on the window and waved, his heart fluttered as the grin spread across her pretty face and she started bouncing and clapping. As soon as he stepped onto the platform she was in his arms, he dropped his bags at his side and lifted her to swing her round before setting her back on her feet and pulling her to him for a deep kiss. Her hands were under the baseball cap he had on and he could feel her fingers searching before she pulled back and took the hat off, staring at his new look.

"It's ... shorter." She frowned a little and tugged at it before smiling. "I love it!"

They made small talk about his trip as they walked back to Sookie's car and smiled at some people who recognised Sookie. When they were exiting the parking garage, Eric turned to his girlfriend and put his hand on her knee across the centre console.

"Is it always like that, people shouting at you whenever you go somewhere?"

"Kind of." Sookie shrugged. "It doesn't bother me though, it'll get worse when the show goes on air, then something else will happen and they'll be recognising a different actress."

"Do any of them go too far?"

Sookie shuddered as she remembered Gabe. "Some, there was a guy at the bus station as a matter of fact, he was creepy but I just told him what was what and moved seats. I'll be more careful from now on, he scared me and if I have to go somewhere that I need to wait for a while I'll be taking some company."

"Good idea, I don't like the idea of weird guys scaring you in bus stations. Not because you're recognisable, just because you're my girlfriend and weird guys talking to you worries me."

"I'm not some waif that can't handle a little confrontation Eric!"

"I know but that doesn't mean I can't feel protective of you does it?"

Sookie thought about that for a moment. "No, I guess it doesn't."

They pulled up outside the Hilton and Sookie handed her keys to the valet as Eric got his bags out of the trunk. They went inside and Eric stood looking around him in awe of the opulent foyer as Sookie checked in and got their room key, Sookie wrapped an arm around Eric's waist as they made their way to the elevators, smiling and acknowledging those who recognised her. When the young couple were finally in their room, Eric carefully extracted his suit from the garment bag and inspected it for creases before hanging it in the wardrobe. Sookie wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek into his back but was annoyed when Eric took her wrists and moved away from her.

"I've just spent five hours on a hot bus Sookie, I stink! Let me take a shower, we still have a few hours before we need to leave right?"

"Yeah, I have that stylist from before, Jennifer, coming to the room at 7pm so I guess I should get cleaned up too." She smiled as Eric kissed her forehead and turned away towards the bathroom. "Would you like some company?"

Eric stopped mid-step and chewed on his bottom lip before facing her with his answer. "Sure, that sounds ... nice."

Sookie nodded and grabbed his hand on her way to the bathroom; pulling him behind her while she hopped and her other hand left a trail of sneakers and socks. Eric copied Sookie's actions and by the time she was starting the shower running, they were both down to their underwear. Eric watched as Sookie unfastened her bra and let it fall to the tiled floor before yanking her panties down to her ankles and flicking them at him with her foot. He caught them and looked at them for a second before his brain realised that his girlfriend was naked and his eyes drank in her beauty.

"What do you want to do first baby? Get clean or get dirty?"

Eric opened and closed his mouth a few times; all of the blood in his body had rushed to his groin as soon as the idea of being in a shower with Sookie captured any thought processes he would usually use. "Uh ... clean ... no! Dirty ... but then we'd ... uh ... clean first?"

Sookie giggled at her boyfriend's turmoil. "It's not the $60,000 question Eric. Why don't we see how dirty getting clean makes us?"

His head lolled back on his shoulders as Sookie stroked his arousal through his shorts before pulling them down his legs and nudging his ankles to remind him to step out of them. When she sat back on her heels to look at him, Sookie sighed, he was truly magnificent. She stood and took his hand, urging him to join her under the warm spray; Eric closed the door of the shower behind him and turned to find Sookie was already filling up her palm with shower gel. The sight of her covered in water droplets, the cold of the gel being spread over his body, the slick feel of her hands as they moved over his skin, Eric groaned as the sensations overwhelmed him and grabbed Sookie's wet hair, pulling her flush against his body and kissing her. Eric got the feeling that getting clean with Sookie would end up being very, very dirty ... and he was right.

~v~

Jennifer Cater knocked on the door of the hotel room ... again, pressing her ear against the door, she heard what sounded like people running around and jumped back as the click of the handle being turned indicated someone was right on the other side. Sookie Stackhouse stood before her, pink cheeked with a serious case of sex hair, not that Jennifer could blame her. If she had a boyfriend that looked like Eric Northman, she'd be all over him any chance she could get.

"Hi, I'm a little early but better early than late right?"

"Oh definitely Jennifer! Thanks so much for coming to do this for me; I wouldn't have time to go to a salon what with the other things I had to do today."

Immediately Jennifer's eyes darted to where Eric was sitting on a sofa wearing a fluffy white robe. "Uh huh. Well, let me see your dress so I can work out a colour palette and then we can talk about what you'd like done with your hair ... I think Eric might be in need of a little styling help in that department too."

Sookie looked at Eric and covered her mouth with her hand to stop the laughter from bubbling to the surface. His hair was sticking out at a multitude of angles; if it was white he would look like he was related to Doc Brown.

"Great Scot!" She exclaimed before she could stop herself, noting Eric's frown as he sauntered off to the bathroom to look for himself. When he came back in, it was obvious he'd wet his hands and tried to flatten the bird's nest on his head.

"Yep, just as well I'm early." Jennifer shook her head and started unpacking everything she needed from her rolling suitcase.

~v~

Eric was hustled through a side door by Sam and Arlene as Sookie was dragged to the red carpet outside the Ziegfeld Theatre. The camera bulbs blinded her but she smiled as widely as she could and put her arm around Lorena's waist as the press shouted questions at them. They answered as Rasul had instructed, ensuring that no spoilers for the season slipped out, moving from interviewer to interviewer along the crimson pathway. Just as Sookie was about to answer the 'is Troisha romantically involved with the Captain' question for the 7th time in 30 minutes, the attention of the press was diverted to an arriving vehicle.

"Oh my God!" Lorena pinched at Sookie's arm making her wince. "Is that? Wow ... that is _desperate_."

Sookie turned to see Bill walking the carpet arm in arm with a girl she vaguely recognised from a reality TV show. "Wasn't she in rehab?"

"Who knows? Either way, he's breaking all the rules walking her up the line. Look ... here's Holly from the network."

Noticing that they were free to make a break for the entrance, Lorena and Sookie huddled by the door and watched as Bill and his Z-list arm candy argued with Holly about her being allowed to go in the main entrance. Giggling they made their way to the main room to be reunited with their men.

The four friends sat together during the meal provided, chatting about the various sights and sounds of the evening. Lorena was the only member of the group that had been to an event of that ilk and had many comparisons to make between the Galaxy Pioneers premiere preview and that of her last big project, Mississippi Queen.

"Well on MQ, it was about vampires, so there were all these emo-goth vamp wannabees hanging around outside. It was such a trip!"

"As opposed to the sci-fi geeks wearing costumes from every incarnation of Star Trek?" Fin raised an eyebrow and smirked as Lorena playfully tapped him on the shoulder.

Eric was startled as Sookie grabbed at Lorena's hand, pulling it closer and staring at one of her fingers. "You? When? Oh my God!"

"Shh." Lorena and Fin simultaneously tried to get Sookie to quieten down before Lorena leaned in close. "Fin asked me last night but we're waiting until tomorrow to announce anything."

Eventually, Eric realised what was going on and shook Fintan's hand. "Congrats man, I wish you guys all the best! A little sudden though don't you think?"

Fin and Lorena gazed into each other's eyes as Fin answered him. "When its right, you just know and there's no point in holding back."

Eric nodded and spotted that Sookie was incredibly interested in her napkin; he reached over and squeezed her hand, disappointed when she gave him a weak smile in return. Sookie soon directed the conversation back to small talk and Eric spent the rest of the meal wondering if there was any way he could fix whatever seemed to be wrong. He knew that whatever was between he and Sookie was _right_, it was very, very right but he also knew that asking her to marry him would not only be something he wasn't quite ready for but it would also be incredibly meaningless – he would only be doing it because she was jealous that her friend had been proposed to.

When it was time for everyone to move into the theatre for the viewing, Eric excused himself to go to the restroom. He was still concerned with Sookie's mood and how on earth he could remedy her melancholy – _if_ he could remedy it, that he didn't notice who he was standing next to at the urinal.

"So you're the 'tard huh?"

Eric turned towards the slurred sound to find Bill swaying slightly while he did his business. "I've never been called that before, mostly because I don't have any learning difficulties, which is the usual cause for referring to someone as a 'tard."

"Oh! A smart guy huh? Well you weren't smart enough to keep away from the poisonous bitch you're fucking!"

Eric closed his eyes and sighed, he could feel his heart begin to race as the adrenaline pumped through his veins. Every instinct he had was telling him to hit Bill and knock him unconscious, luckily, his brain stayed in control enough to prevent him from making such a mistake.

"You only think she's poisonous because you're not with her anymore. Bitter much?"

"Fuck you!" Bill snarled, zipping up violently and stalking to the sinks. "Why should _I_ be bitter? I'm not the one who had to stoop so low as to scour the patient list at the psychiatric centre for sex!"

Eric lips were set in a thin line, almost white from being pressed together. He _knew_ Bill was trying to goad him and as he made his way to the sinks, he noticed Bill lean against the counter and fold his arms. The dark haired actor smirked, making it obvious he was thinking of something hurtful to say to Eric.

"As far as her memory is concerned, I'll always be her first." Bill stood up straight and pressed against Eric as he dried his hands, attempting to intimidate him. "That's something you can never have. Doesn't that just _irritate_ you?"

Eric frowned a little and straightened to his full height, towering over Bill. "What irritates me, Bill, is that you feel the need to be a dick. Please don't speak to me again ... ever."

Eric marched to the door of the restroom and almost bumped into Rasul as he was entering. Rasul stepped past Eric and noted Bill's expression which was pure anger. Placing a hand on Eric's arm, Rasul addressed both men.

"I want to know what just happened here."

Eric shrugged. "He was being a dick, so I told him not to speak to me again."

Bill snarled at Eric and stared daggers at Rasul, he had been sure he would be able goad Blondie into an argument, maybe even a fight. Either one would have gotten his name in the gossip columns, it would have been even better if Eric could have been made out to be the aggressor but it's all good. Rasul waved his hand to get Eric to leave, making it apparent that he wanted to speak with Bill alone.

"Bill what, exactly, were you trying to achieve by being an ass?"

"You've only got that mentally ill, geek's word on that."

"Yeah, well, that mentally ill geek seems like a hell of a nice guy, so I'll take his word over yours any day of the week. Take my advice Bill; don't go looking for trouble to keep yourself in the limelight. Work hard, work well and it'll happen."

Bill sneered at his boss as he walked past him to head in for the preview. Rasul shook his head and wondered if he was going to have to get someone to keep an eye on Compton over the show's hiatus. The last thing he needed was one of the main cast going down the tubes and it was clear that Bill's drinking needed to be addressed ... soon before he made a serious mistake.

Sookie spent most of the first episode preview feeling jealous that Lorena and Fin were engaged, despite the fact they had known each other for a shorter time than her and Eric. The second episode was spent thinking about all the reasons why Eric wouldn't want to ask her to marry him and if he would ever feel like taking that step. By the time the third episode was almost over, Sookie felt immensely guilty and selfish. It was obvious that her mood had not gone unnoticed and Eric was on edge, Sookie thought about everything they had been through in such a short time and chastised herself for even momentarily obsessing about taking vows. She loved Eric and he loved her. That was all that mattered at that moment in time. Sookie realised that as much as Eric had to live one day at a time due to his condition – it was something she would have to learn to do too.

They made their way through to the large room, passing guests and colleagues who already had drinks in hand. The women made sure their partners were seated and comfortable before going off on their own to schmooze with others in the industry.

"She seems to have cheered up." Fin sipped at his beer. "I think it's easy to guess what made her so sad for a while."

Eric sighed and rolled his beer bottle between his palms on the table. "I _know_ that she wants more, she wants marriage and kids and vacations to the beach but ... I just can't think that far into the future yet. Is this the beginning of the end?"

"Sookie is the only one who can answer that question, friend, but for what it's worth, I don't think she's so selfish she would throw what she has with you to the side and pursue those things with someone else."

Eric nodded and sipped at his drink. Fin looked at him and wondered if he should go and find the girls and make an early night of it, the only way Eric and Sookie were going to get past this was to talk about it and the longer they stayed here, the harder it would be for them to talk about later. His musing was interrupted by Rasul sitting in the vacant chair next to Eric.

"Hi, we didn't get introduced before." Rasul extended his hand to Eric, then to Fintan. "Rasul Mahmood. I apologise for Bill's behaviour in the restroom before."

"It's not you who should be apologising." Eric shrugged.

"No, it's not. What did he say to you anyway?"

"He was just trying to bait me, into what - I have no idea. He called me a name then said something about Sookie. It's no big deal, he knows, now, that I won't react so he'll probably not bother next time."

Sookie and Lorena noticed the three men sitting at the table; they paid particular attention to the irritated expression on Rasul's face.

"Do you think we should get over there?" Lorena bit at her bottom lip. "He doesn't look too happy."

"I can't imagine Eric or Fin would have done anything to get on his nerves. You know Rasul; he's pretty laid back about stuff."

Lorena cleared her throat and quirked an eyebrow at Sookie. "Speaking of laid back, that's something you certainly _weren't_ through the preview. Was it nerves or something else?"

"Uh ... oh! You know how these things are. It's always touch and go until you see how the critics are going to take things."

"Uh-huh and the fact your mood plummeted after we had talked about Fintan proposing to me was just a coincidence right?"

Sookie sighed and plonked unceremoniously into a nearby vacant chair. "Urgh! You're right and I feel awful! My brain went all kablooey and all I could think about was whether it would ever happen for me and Eric. I'm a horrible, selfish person!"

Lorena crouched down and placed a supportive arm around her friend's shoulder. "You're normal Sookie. Every girl has those thoughts when something they want happens to someone else. What you need to do now, is talk to Eric. I saw the look on his face through the previews, he wasn't watching the show. He was watching you. Take off, go somewhere private and _talk_ to him."

"Okay, you're right. Lord knows what he's thinking right now!"

Sookie stood and quickly walked towards where Eric was sitting. Fintan noticed her approach and turned to Eric.

"Your Sookie is coming over. You should ask her if it's okay for the two of you to leave. I think the sooner you two talk about everything the better."

Eric nodded and turned to face his girlfriend as he rose from his chair, when she reached him they shared an embrace. "Sookie, I was wondering ..."

"Can it wait Eric? I'd really like to get going. There's something I need to say to you."

"Oh! Well, _I was wondering_ if we could go soon because there are some things I'd like to talk to you about."

"So, you don't mind leaving early?"

"Not at all, I thought I was going to have to convince you to leave now."

They smiled at each other and Sookie said her goodbyes to everyone she knew while Eric retrieved their belongings and said his own farewells to Fintan, Lorena and Rasul. Just as they were about to exit the theatre, they saw Bill's date rushing past them looking very upset. Although she was a little concerned as to what had happened to the young woman, Sookie couldn't help but feel thankful that the emotional display as the ex-big brother contestant left the building attracted the attention of the waiting press, clearing the way for her and Eric to leave with minimal hassle.

The young couple entered their hotel room and as soon as the door was closed they both blurted out their apologies at the same time. Sookie and Eric shared an uncomfortable laugh before Sookie frowned and sat down on the bed.

"Why are you saying sorry Eric? You have nothing to apologise for, I'm the one who let my jealousy ruin what could have been a fun night out."

"Well, I'm sorry for not being the kind of boyfriend you want to have. I know you want romance and proposals and I feel bad for not being able to give you those things."

Sookie's eyes widened in horror and the full implications of her earlier mood were made painfully apparent. "Oh Lord! No Eric! Don't you ever think those things, you've given me so much and you're an amazing boyfriend. I feel awful because you should never think you aren't the kind of boyfriend I want to have!"

"But all the things you want ... I don't know if I can ever give them to you."

"The truth is ... I'm not sure what I want. The moment I saw Lorena's ring, yes, I wanted a big romantic gesture but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I don't _need_ big romantic gestures. Every time you walk out of your house, every time you're out in public and speaking to people, that says more about how you feel about me than a shiny bauble and I'm sorry it took me most of the night to get my head around that."

"So, you don't want me to propose to you?" Eric frowned.

"Not if it's not what you want to do right at that moment. Don't get me wrong, if at some point you get down on one knee with a ring, I'll be thrilled! But until _you_ feel it's time, I'm happy with the fact that we're in love and we're happy together."

Eric barely managed to hide his relief and closed his eyes to absorb the fact that Sookie wasn't breaking up with him. Sookie gently stroked Eric's cheek with her thumb, smiling as he opened his eyes at the physical contact. He opened his arms and she crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and nuzzling into his neck.

"I thought you would want to break up with me." Eric sighed and inhaled the scent of Sookie's hair as she shook her head vehemently against his shoulder.

"Never!" She sat back and held Eric's face in her hands. "I love you Eric and I'm willing to accept whatever part of you that you can give. Don't ever think that I'm going to give up on us at the first hurdle, I care for you far too much for that."

Eric nodded and smoothed Sookie's hair away from her face. "I love you too Sookie."

Their lips met softly as they tightened their embrace, both of them trying to prove the depth of their feelings for the other with their bodies. Eric rolled Sookie on to her back and gently ran his hands over her curves. She sighed into his mouth as the pads of his fingers brushed her hardening nipples.

"Make love to me Eric."

"Anything for you, my Sookie."


	10. Plotting a Path

Breaking down the Walls

Summary: Eric Northman was plagued by illness as a child and as such, his life is sheltered to the point where he only, truly, trusts one person. When he takes an interest in disgraced former child star Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to resurrect her career, will it encourage both of them to break down the walls they created to protect themselves? All human.

Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all, it's her lawnmower – I'll bring it back once the grass is cut.

~v~

Eric let himself into the house and almost made it to his room before he was stopped by his Dad saying his name from the doorway of the living room. Turning towards Felipe's voice, Eric saw him smiling at him with a mug of coffee in one hand and the other in his pants pocket.

"Hey Dad. I gotta go."

Felipe frowned at Eric's pale features and watched him throw open the door that led to the basement. The teacher listened to Eric's heavy footfalls as he descended into his 'Bat cave' as Felipe referred to it. Sighing, Felipe wondered what had happened to make his son so twitchy. Eric had returned from NYC with such confidence and now, only a week later, he was back to being withdrawn. Felipe sipped at his coffee and remembered what Eric had said he'd had planned for that day, an interview with some researcher in cognitive behavioural therapy for a book they wanted to write. Al was a cognitive behavioural therapist; surely this writer would have the same skills as Al and make sure Eric was calm and comfortable in his or her presence? Obviously not.

In the basement, Eric had paced for a short time before grabbing a pillow and tucking himself into his safe place. He wondered how it had gone so wrong. How could he have been so blind? It was only a matter of time before someone saw through his bravado and that ... woman ... who interviewed him for her book made him feel like he was back at school. The way she had spoken to him, the way she had giggled at everything he said. He had been confused at her behaviour in the beginning of the interview but as time went on, he had seen her actions for what they were. She had been making fun of him the whole time.

Eric held the pillow to his face and inhaled deeply, he'd purposefully picked the pillow that Sookie used and he calmed slightly as her scent filled him with happy memories. He tried to focus his thoughts on the last time he had seen her, her undulating body on top of him, her gentle touches and words, her professions of love but he was distracted by the sound of someone walking down the stairs into his room.

"Eric? Are you here?" Felipe looked around the seemingly empty basement and scratched his head in confusion. He certainly hadn't seen Eric coming back upstairs to leave the house.

"I'm here."

Felipe looked around the room, trying to pinpoint where the muffled voice had come from when he spotted movement from under the bed. He wondered if that was the infamous 'safe place' that he had heard his wife and Son talking about but decided that if indeed it _was_, this wasn't the time or place to be asking questions about it. Once Eric had made himself comfortable sitting on the bed, Felipe tentatively sat next to him.

"Do you want to talk about it Son?"

"I ... I don't know if you'll be able to help." Eric turned to his Dad and saw the concern etched into his features.

"Well ... I know that talking helps and I'm prepared to listen. Your Mom is at work, Sookie is in New York ... I guess we could call Aloysius and see if he can come over. Do you want to call him?"

Eric thought about it for a moment, he _could_ wait for Al to find time to listen to him but his Dad was right there. His Dad was there for him, not just at that exact moment but he had been all along.

"No, don't call him. Y'know maybe you _can_ help."

Felipe's heart swelled as he saw the trust in Eric's eyes. He patted his Son on the knee and smiled encouragingly at him.

"I had that interview with the writer today. She was ... she spent the whole time making fun of me."

Eric saw his Dad's eyes flash with anger and the muscles in his jaw twitch. Felipe closed his eyes and reigned in his fury before placing a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Tell me what she did mi hijo. Did she call you names or make nasty comments about your condition?"

"Huh? Uh ... no, actually ... it was worse." Eric tried to dampen the feelings that remembering the writers actions invoked. "She kept giggling whenever I said something and smiling at me like I was stupid. If she'd been straight up abusive I'd have been able to handle it but ..."

"She was being nice?"

"Yes! She kept talking about how brave I was with her stupid squeaky voice and she kept rubbing her hand on my arm. It was like that one time in school with Sandy, y'know, when she pretended to like me so I would ask her to the dance?"

"I remember."

Felipe looked away from Eric as his thoughts turned to that day. He had broken up the crowd around the dumpster, listening to all of their comments so he could try to piece together what had happened. Sandy had been flirting with Eric so he would ask her to go to the Harvest Hootenanny with him, when Eric asked her - that was when Victor swooped in and beat Eric for hitting on his girlfriend. It had amazed and disgusted him all at once, that the youths had concocted such an elaborate scheme just to humiliate one person. He looked back at his Son and saw the unshed tears pooling in his eyes.

"Eric, this isn't school anymore. I know you were damaged by what you went through but I'm finding it hard to understand what would be in it for this woman who interviewed you today."

Eric shrugged. "I just wanted to get away but before I left she ... she grabbed me and tried to kiss me."

Now Felipe was even more confused than ever. "Son ... if she had been trying to humiliate you in some way ... I don't know why she would try to kiss you ... is it at all possible that she was honest in her actions?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe she was genuinely flirting with you because she found you attractive. That's the only explanation for her trying to kiss you."

"Or she was trying to make a fool out of me!" Felipe could see Eric's frustration at his line of questioning but refused to give in.

"Look Son, I know this is ... out of your comfort zone but hear me out. Sookie finds you attractive, is it beyond your comprehension that other women would too? This woman ..."

"Claudine, her name was Claudine Crane."

"Okay, this Claudine, it's entirely possible that she _did_ perceive you as brave and that she _did_ flirt with you because she found you handsome and full of many other positive qualities. The writer ... Claudine, she had nothing to gain by humiliating you or belittling you."

"But what if she did? Have something to gain, I mean. Maybe she's a sick lady who gets some kind of satisfaction from pretending to like guys with mental illnesses?"

Felipe sighed. "If she is then she's the one with problems, not you. I know this is hard for you, right now you're finding it hard to see the positives in people, hopefully as time goes on you'll start to see people at face value."

Eric furrowed his brow and thought about his Dad's comment, he knew that Felipe was right - he _did_ go into situations expecting the worst from people. "But if I leap into things head first thinking everyone is my friend ..."

"I'm not saying you should do that. Just ... just take things as they come, you've been doing so well these past months. Whenever you have to meet someone new, try not to have _any_ expectations about them or how they'll speak to you. Judging characters is something that comes with integration, it'll take time but you'll get there."

Eric nodded. "I get it. Thanks Dad, I'm glad you were here to talk to me about this. I feel better now."

Felipe nodded and patted Eric on the shoulder before he stood and made his way back upstairs.

~v~

Sookie tried to stay calm, really she did, but when Eric had told her over the phone that this ... Claudine person had tried to kiss him and spent the entire interview flirting with him she was enraged. It was _very_ common knowledge that she and Eric were together. Since Fintan and Lorena had announced their engagement, she and Eric were in every tabloid's 'who's next' top 5. She paced the floor of her apartment not knowing what to do. She wanted to go and confront Claudine Crane and tell her to keep away from her man, she wanted to drive to Elmira and claim Eric right there and then, she wanted to make sure no other woman flirted or tried to kiss her boyfriend ever again ... Sookie sighed and decided to call Lorena, she would know how to calm her down.

"Hey Sookie, what's up?"

"I'm angry. That bitch who interviewed Eric tried to kiss him. Kiss him! What a slut! I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle this!"

"Okay, okay. First things first - are you angry at Eric?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Does _he_ know that?"

"Sure, well, I think he knows. He must know!"

She heard Lorena sigh over the phone. "Honey, is there even the teeniest tiniest chance he might think you're angry at him? Bear in mind that your boyfriend has serious issues when you think about that."

"Alright, there may be a small chance he thinks I'm angry at him. I should call him shouldn't I?"

"See! You're learning so quickly!"

"What if I've really messed up this time Lorena? We managed to fix everything after my emotions blew up at the party but ..."

"Shut up. You aren't going to know unless you call him. Suck it up and deal with it."

Lorena hung up before Sookie could voice any more of her fears, leaving the blonde actress staring, open-mouthed, at the device in her hand. Sookie sighed and poured herself a cup of coffee before calling Eric back. She lifted the cordless phone and started dialling his number, then cancelled the call before it rang. Taking a gulp of her warm drink, Sookie closed her eyes and breathed out before hitting redial. It rang ... and rang ... just as Sookie's nerves were making her 'end call' finger itchy, the ringing stopped and was replaced with Pam's voice.

"Pam! It's Sookie. I need to speak to Eric ... please."

"I ... I don't know about that Sookie. He's very ... upset right now. Can I ask him to call you back when he's calmed down?"

"Uh ..." Sookie quickly weighed the pros and cons of not talking about this right away and steeled herself. "No. I need to talk to him now. Waiting will make it worse."

"Okay." She heard Pam sigh and the sound of heels on a hard floor and some mumbling. "Here he is."

Sookie closed her eyes and mouthed a 'thank you' to the ceiling of her living room. "Eric?"

"Yes." She winced at how cold his voice sounded and detected the faintest of sniffling from his end.

"When you called earlier, I was angry that Claudine had come on to you. I wasn't angry at you, I just wanted to let you know that and apologise if I sounded ... off. I love you."

"You're not angry at me? I thought you were angry at me."

"No baby, I swear I'm not angry at you and I'm really sorry for making you feel like I was."

"I didn't like it."

"I know. No-one likes to feel like the person they love is upset with them."

"Well, I didn't like that either but what I meant was I didn't like it when she flirted with me. It felt like she was making fun of me."

"Eric." Sookie sucked a breath through her teeth. "As much as it makes me happy that you didn't like it, you're gorgeous - there will always be women who want to flirt with you. I don't like that because you're mine but there's nothing I can do about it except put all of my trust in you."

"You ... you think I would _do something_ with someone else?" The shock and hurt was evident in her boyfriend's voice and Sookie cursed herself. She felt stupid for mentioning that last part but what's done is done.

"No, I don't Eric, because I trust you. Not only do I trust that you wouldn't do that to me but I trust that you're not that type of person."

"Oh. Okay. So ... are we not mad at each other?"

"No Eric, we're cool. I'll be up to see you in three days."

They spent another 20 minutes on the phone, talking about Eric's driving lessons, Sookie's upcoming appearance at a sci-fi convention in Denver and Lorena's plans for an Irish themed wedding in tribute to Fintan's heritage. Three days seemed like a lifetime away.

~v~

Pam closed her eyes in annoyance as Eric sighed ... again. She knew his moping wouldn't stop until the morning he woke up and knew he'd be seeing Sookie that day, and that day was still 24 hours away.

"Eric, honey, if you're bored you could study for your driving test some more."

"I already did that today."

"Okay, have you checked Sookie's website today?"

"Yeah." Another sigh.

"I know you miss Sookie but you'll be seeing her tomorrow."

"Tomorrow night. It feels like it'll never get here."

"Y'know, when me and Felipe missed each other like that was when we knew we had to see more of each other."

"He moved in the week after." Eric nodded. "I remember you telling me that you wanted to spend more time together."

"Exactly." Pam smiled.

Eric blinked. "You think Sookie should move in with us?"

This time Pam sighed. "No, Eric. Sookie has her life and work in New York City. You though – you can pretty much go anywhere you like."

"I can?"

"Yes. Your work goes wherever you do. You're out of the house almost every day. You haven't had to see Al for a while. You even stayed in a hotel overnight!"

"Are you saying I should ask if I can move in with Sookie?" She saw the fear in his eyes and patted the back of his hand gently.

"Maybe not move in with her, but maybe you could ask if you could stay for a few days and see how it works out."

"Like a vacation at Sookie's."

"Exactly! It would save Sookie travelling all the way here for a while and you wouldn't have to put up with me and your Dad hanging around either!"

The cogs in Eric's head started turning and Pam quietly went into another room to let him connect the dots and make a decision in his own. Her boy was a man now and while others the same age as him were actively seeking independence, she knew that her Son needed the seeds to be sown before he would think about making the bigger steps.

~v~

Sookie tapped her fingers against the all access passes and worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. The party had been one thing, one night. But this was different. This was two whole days in a packed conference centre. She wondered if Eric would be able to handle being away from Pam that long. Adding in travelling time, he would be away from Elmira for almost four days. She thought the timing would have to be right before she asked him; he would have to be relaxed so he didn't freak out or get stressed at the thought of it. She grabbed her bag and smiled as she got out of her car and let herself into the house.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Eric poked his head out of the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear before rushing over to Sookie and lifting her off her feet to twirl her around.

"I'm so glad to see you, Sook. I've had an idea ... well, it was my Mom's idea but I liked it so much I ran with it!"

He put her down and took her bag before grabbing her hand and leading her down to his room. When Sookie got down the stairs she noticed a brand new set of luggage sitting next to Eric's desk. She could feel the passes for the Sci-Fi convention burning in her pocket and wondered if she'd been wrong about the possibility of Eric getting stressed at the thought of going.

"Did your folks get new suitcases?"

"No." Eric grinned. "They're mine, for when I take vacations."

"Wow! That's pretty ... good timing!" Sookie laughed. "I was going to ask if you'd like to come to Nebula-Con with me. I got two all access passes – one each!"

Sookie's sudden mention of the convention put Eric off his stride a little and his face fell. Sookie noticed right away and her excitement was quashed by her insecurities. While Eric was trying to think of how to accept the pass and then suggest that he go to stay with Sookie for a while after the convention, Sookie was wondering where Eric had booked his solo vacation to.

"If you have other plans I can give your pass back to my agent. I'm sure there's someone out there dying to get hold of one."

"What? No!" Eric went over to the bed and sat down, patting the space next to him. "I'd like to go, because it would mean spending time with you. I want to spend more time with you – that's why the luggage is there. So I can take vacations to you."

"Eric, that's a great idea!" She threw herself into his arms and peppered his face and neck with kisses. "I'd love it if you came to my apartment for a vacation."

"Since I'm coming to Nebula-Con ... it would make sense for me to go back to New York with you. Maybe I could hang around for a few days when we get back from that?"

Sookie smiled and nodded but in her mind she wondered if it would actually happen. Nebula-Con was a very busy Convention, but she kept hoping that Eric would be able to handle it and that he wouldn't be racing to get back to his basement after one day amongst the Sci-Fi fans. All Eric could think about was getting to spend more time with the woman he loved.

~v~

_One Year later ..._

Eric shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the studio assistant clipped the microphone to his tie. His eyes immediately went to Sookie and his Mom on the other side of the green room. Pam smiled encouragingly and Sookie nodded to him as the music from the studio blared over the monitor. Everyone's eyes were glued to the small screen as the host came on to the stage and put his hands up to quieten the audience.

"Welcome to Tonight with Jonathan Ross. What a line up we have for you tonight ladies and gentlemen – let's have a look at the green room and you can see Rihanna is in there. She'll be talking about her role in the movie Battleship. Comedienne Sarah Millican will be here to tell us about her new one-woman show DVD release. We'll be having some tunes from Snow Patrol to celebrate their new album hitting the stores but first, ladies and gentlemen, in honour of National Mental Health Awareness week - we have author Eric Northman."

The audience joined the host in applauding and the assistants gestured wildly to Eric, pointing him in the right direction to get on stage and patting him on the back in support of his appearance on the show. Eric smiled nervously and gave the crowd a little wave as he came out of the doorway and made his way to the leather sofa next to Jonathon's desk. He put his sweaty palm in Jonathon's and tried to convey how terrified he was with one look at the interviewer. Mr. Ross winked at him and patted Eric's hand before indicating he should sit down. Eric made sure all of the wires were out of the way and straightened his suit jacket and tie after sitting.

Pam chewed her lip nervously in the green room. "You'd think he'd be used to all this by now."

"This is different. We're in the UK and _this_ interviewer in particular can cut pretty close to the bone."

Sookie grabbed Pam's hand and tried to send as much love and support to Eric as she could without being next to him. Back in the studio, the music had stopped and Eric was stiff as a board on the sofa as Jonathon picked up a copy of Eric's book and the cameras panned in on it.

"So, Eric, you're in the UK for the book tour of 'Love Conquers All'. Seeing as the book is about overcoming agoraphobia, it would be a bit silly to ask if you've been to the UK before."

Eric cleared his throat. "I guess it would be, yes."

"Now, I've read this – cover to cover – and it's an amazing story because every day you hear of people with mental illness _not_ making it, _not_ living and just existing. But this is special because it's not just your story but a kind of manual for others out there suffering the same problems."

"It started out being just my story but, as I was writing, I realised that I had knowledge and experience that I could pass on to others and it snowballed from there."

"I know a lot of Mental Health charities have applauded you touring with this book over here because – and this is shocking, ladies and gentlemen – one in four people in the UK suffer from Mental Health problems. But here you are, out here, you've written this book, you run your own business – you're the proof that certain Mental illnesses can be practically cured. Is that a heavy load to have upon your shoulders? That people are looking to _you_ for answers and hope?"

"A little, now you mention it. I didn't think of it like that when I was writing. My mantra has always been 'one day at a time' and I still live to it."

"As I mentioned, the title is 'Love Conquers All'. There have been a couple of groups that have misconstrued this and some have mentioned that your method can lead to unhealthy dependence on one person. But I've actually read this and you're not insinuating that at all, it's not just romantic love that you address but familial love and trust. Although the title is misleading, because, really, it's trust that conquers all."

"Yes it is but my editor said 'Trust Conquers All' wasn't such a snappy title."

The audience laughed and Eric smiled at them. Pam and Sookie relaxed a little as they saw Eric loosen up. They talked some more about the book and Eric's life while he was most affected by his mental health problems. Sookie smiled at the monitor as Eric became more at ease with the questions.

"You put a lot of your recovery down to your parents, Pam and Felipe, and your counsellor Al but the person who made the biggest difference is now your girlfriend."

"Yes, Sookie. She's ... she's my everything."

The women in the audience swooned and the cameras in the green room panned around to show Sookie's shocked face for a second before she buried her head in the crook of Pam's neck.

"And despite whatever problems you had, you really pushed the boat out to help her with her own problems – is that right?"

"I didn't even think when she asked me for help, I just did it and that was a turning point in my recovery."

"Well, you have to admit – if she asked any red-blooded man to help her out they'd probably do the same thing." Jonathon whistled appreciatively and wiggled his eyebrows at Sookie in one of her brief moments of not hiding. "Stand up love, give us a twirl!"

Sookie's face flushed as Pam pushed her to get her to stand up, the two women giggling as Sookie danced around in a circle. Her dress showed off her small baby bump proudly and her engagement ring caught the lights and flashed attractively as the audience whooped in appreciation.

"Cor, Eric, tell you what – you might not be right in the head but obviously your pipes aren't blocked!"

Eric blushed and looked at his pregnant fiancée, his eyes full of love and adoration. One day at a time got him a little further every week.


End file.
